The Code
by CasaHouse
Summary: A tall stranger saves the life of one of Konoha's shinobi, but nobody can figure out how. Who is this man? and how does he fight without chakra? TenTen/OC.
1. Never Violate

This is the first fic I have written in a good 4 years... so go easy on me... Given my writing style... I'll be nitpicking and changing little things all the time... and I'm not set on the title yet... any suggestions are more than welcome...

The rookie nine are 19-20 years old when this fic takes place. This fic is built on the assumption that nobody important on the "good" side dies after Jiraiya's fight with Pain.

"These" are dialogue...  
*_These_* are thoughts

'The Code'

Chapter 1.  
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* * *

"I smell blood" murmured Kiba, beginning to wake up. It seemed that no matter how well rested he was, gate duty knocked him out.

A giant of a man in a tattered black coat slowly approached the Hidden Village of Konoha. Draped in his arms was one of Konoha's kunoichi. Over his shoulder was the oversized scroll she carried. His pace was slowing as he staggered toward the gates. Walking hurt. Moving hurt. Breathing hurt. Everything hurt. When he cleared the treeline, the guard cloudgazing at the gate caught sight of him. Shikamaru rushed to his side, Kiba hot on his heels. Kiba took the unconscious girl from him, and Shikamaru got a good look at the tall man.

"You're that man from last week," He was pale, and he looked completely worn out, but there was no mistaking it. "Drake?"

The man nodded breathlessly.

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* * *

**FLASHBACK**

Drake looked at the gates of 'Konoha' with curious eyes.

*_If all the military force around here are ninja, and a ninja can jump a hundred feet... or run up a damn wall... or teleport... do these gigantic 50 foot gates actually do anything?_* he pondered, *_I guess It's probably just for the shock effect... they are pretty impressive._*

He let out a sigh and adjusted his backpack as he walked up.

"Stop."

He did so.

"State your business in Konoha." ordered a very bored looking guard. His partner was face-down on the table, snoring lightly. The speaker looked to be about Drake's age, with his dark hair in a spiky ponytail and a green tactical vest. His face wore an expression of boredom that seemed stuck. The sleeping guard wore a similar vest, but had unruly, short hair and strange red tattoos on his cheeks.

"My name is Drake," he said as politely as he could. "I'm just looking for somewhere to sleep and get something to eat."

"How long will you be here?"

"I'll be gone by tomorrow evening."

The guard gestured at the sword strapped to Drake's back. "No weapons are allowed past the gate." he said simply. Drake eyed the weapon pouch at the man's hip and raised an eyebrow. "For visitors."

"Fair enough." Drake conceded, lifting the sword off of his back and the knives out of his boots. He placed them on the table, hilt first. The guard kicked the sleeping man at the table.

"Oi! wake up Kiba!" he said irritably. "This guy needs a weapon check."

*_Ah! the glories of wearing a black trenchcoat..._* Drake grumbled inwardly. He handed his coat to the recently awoken guard and started laying out the contents of his backpack on the table. *_Everybody thinks you're an assassin!_*

"Damn!" grumbled the guard with the tattoos. "This thing is heavy!"

"Sorry..." Drake stated absentmindedly as he continued emptying the backpack. "It's lined with chainmail."

"Chainwhat?" The guard looked confused, and Drake noticed his eyeteeth were elongated, as were his pupils.

*_O...K... kinda weird..._* "Chainmail."

"What?"

"Unzip the liner." stated Drake as he began spreading out the items from his bag to let the ponytailed guard look them over.

"What's this supposed to do?" asked the guard, staring at the pattern of rings between the two layers of the trenchcoat.

"Try to cut it." The guard did so, the rings stood firm.

"Oh, it's _armor_." he realized aloud. "Too damn heavy."

"I guess wearing it all the time, you just stop noticing." Drake mused. The guard didn't say anything else as he finished checking the coat for hidden weapons.

"Okay, spread your arms and put your feet apart." Drake did as he was told as they searched him for hidden weapons.

"You can pass. You can retrieve your weapons when you leave tomorrow."

"Thanks" said Drake as he re-packed his backpack, donned his coat, and set off to find himself an inn.

**END FLASHBACK**

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"What happened to her?" asked the guard with the ponytail. "What did you do?"

"She was ambushed." stated Drake, wincing and pulling what looked like a bundle of cloth from his coat and dropping it on the ground. Shikamaru's eyes widened. Three forehead protectors, each with the same emblem, a music note with a rough slash through it.

*_Sound nin..._* Shikamaru realized. Since Orochimaru's demise they had been scattered, and the hidden villages had been slowly exterminating them. Apparently they'd missed a few. *_How troublesome._* Shikamaru was shaken from his contemplations when the man in the coat groaned and fell to the ground. It was then that he and Kiba saw the four kunai embedded in his back, and the blood soaked through the back of his coat.

"Kiba! Get these two to the hospital!" Kiba nodded once and was gone in a swirl of leaves, TenTen vanishing with him. Shikamaru heard the man on the ground mutter something as he tried to lift himself back up.

"What?" he said as he crouched to listen.

"Don't let... Don't let them..." the man coughed, spraying blood on the ground. "Don't take off... headband."

Drake slumped to the ground, unconscious.

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	2. A woman,

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**EARLIER THAT WEEK**

*_This place'll do._* Drake nodded to himself, *_Nothing fancy... but running water is a welcome change._*

He pushed the door-flap aside and stepped in. After ringing the bell and paying for a night, he walked up the thin staircase and found his room. He threw his backpack and coat onto the bed, chuckling a little when it creaked. He went into the modest bathroom, and glanced at the mirror. What he saw stopped him in his tracks.

"Wow..." he thought aloud. "I look like hell."

He did. His stubble was fast advancing into beard territory, and his hair stuck out messily from under his bandana. He sighed and walked back to his pack, removing his razor and trimming scissors. After removing his bandana he took a deep breath, focused himself, and took off his headband. After a haircut, a shave, and a much needed shower, he dried off and put on a pair of clean pants. He then replaced his headband and looked in the mirror.

His eyes were always drawn to the headband first, studying the seal there. He could control it if he focused, but when in town, he preferred to just put on a seal and relax. He gathered up his dirty clothes, and filled the sink with water. This was one of his rules of living on the road. Wash your clothes whenever you get the chance. After about ten minutes of soap and work, he rinsed the clothes and hung them up to dry.

He stopped at the mirror again. He looked into his own green eyes, they looked tired. That never seemed to change. He studied the cleanly-shaven face.

*_Not bad._* he thought with a smirk. His eyes moved farther down, and he regarded the latticework of scars on his torso...

"Those I could do without." he thought aloud. He turned from the mirror, catching a glance of his nearly unblemished back as he did so. "At least nobody can call me a coward."

*_So many fights._* He reminisced as he put on a clean was shaken from his thoughts when his stomach gave a loud growl.

"Guess It's time to feed the beast." he chuckled to himself. Concealing his headband under a black bandana, he threw his coat over his shoulder and strolled out of the room.

Upon leaving the inn, he headed towards the center of town, looking for somewhere to eat dinner. He felt, rather than saw, a shadow fall over his form, and looked up, barely catching the silhouettes of four flawless kunoichi as they bounded across the rooftops above the rest of the town. None of the civilians around him even looked up. His eyes returned to the ground just in time to narrowly avoid plowing through another stunning young kunoichi. He apologized quietly. The girl ignored him.

"Ninja villages." he muttered under his breath.

*_Why does every female ninja here have to be so damn attractive?_* he thought irritably as he turned a corner and another flawless blonde bombshell wearing ninja gear walked by. He pulled out his headphones and put them in, thumbing the tiny device in his pocket to find the right song. The music started to soothe his mind, until he noticed that everybody on the street was moving out of his way when he walked. *_Well, at least being 6'5' gets me something..._* he thought darkly. He did his best to ignore them, focusing on the music. His mind slowly eased away from such frustrating thoughts. Before he knew it he'd lost track of how far he'd walked from his inn. He stopped at an intersection and looked around.

"You look lost." a voice stated from his right. Drake pulled his headphones out and turned. The source of the voice was a man in an orange shirt with spiky blond hair. He had what looked like whisker marks on his cheeks and had the look of a fighter about him. He was standing with his arm around a very pretty girl with pink hair and dazzling green eyes. They each wore a forehead protector with the leaf symbol.

"Yeah, I don't really know my way around town," the tall man agreed. "I was just looking for somewhere to get dinner."

"Say no more. Follow me!" The blond man said with a big grin, taking off down the street at a jog. The pink-haired girl shook her head with a chuckle and took off after him. Drake followed after her.

About ten minutes later the blond man slowed down, coming to a stop in front of a small noodle stand.

"Ichiraku Ramen huh?" Drake asked. *_Wow... Ritzy... Some stools... a flap... this place has **everything**_*

"No better place in all of Konoha!" beamed the blond man, with the smile that never seemed to leave his face. The girl just rolled her eyes.

"Care to join me?" asked Drake politely, "I hate eating alone when I'm in town, I get enough of it on the road." *_Where'd that come from? I'm being social?_*

The blond turned to his girlfriend and gave her a pleading look.

"Wow." Drake thought aloud. "Stunning execution of the puppy dog eyes."

"Alright..." she sighed. "We can stay for ramen."

"YES!" the blond exclaimed. "You're the best Sakura-chan!"

"Oh yeah," said the blond as though remembering something, "I'm Naruto, Naruto Uzumaki," he said, extending his hand. Drake shook it. Naruto gestured to his female companion. "This is my fiancée Sakura."

*_Cherry Blossom?_* he pondered. *_Well... it fits._*

"I'm Drake," he stated, "...and congratulations."

"Thank you." Naruto and Sakura chimed in unison. An uncomfortable silence started to form, lingering for about ten seconds. The smell of food wafted from the ramen stand, it was cut off by the hungry growl of three stomachs. All three of them started to laugh.

"I think that's our cue to sit down." offered Sakura.

"I think you're right." nodded Drake, moving to hang his coat on the rack. He waited to make sure the rack held, and took the far left stool. Naruto took the next seat, and Sakura sat to her fiancé's right. Drake leaned forward to look at Sakura as he pointed at Naruto. "So I take it from the begging earlier he's a regular here?"

"Addict would probably be a more fitting term." the girl deadpanned.

"I'm right here you know." Naruto grumbled irritably.

"Well then Naruto, what would you recommend?" asked the taller man.

"Well," Naruto contemplated the question for a moment. "Everything's good."

"What are _you_ going to order Naruto?" asked the man behind the counter. He was big, and had a friendly face.

Naruto contemplated the question for a moment. "Give me a bowl of Miso-Pork ramen with an egg."

"That sounds good." nodded Drake. "Make it two."

"Make it three." chimed Sakura.

"Coming up." The man said as he started preparing the food.

"So you two are ninja?" Drake inquired, eager to avoid another awkward silence.

"We're both jounin," Sakura answered proudly, "I'm head of surgery at the Konoha Hospital, and Naruto here is next in line to be Hokage."

"Wow. I had no idea I was in such auspicious company." admitted Drake, "It's an honor to meet both of you."

"Are you a ninja Drake-san?" asked Naruto

"No..." Drake fidgeted uncomfortably at being the center of attention. "That'd be impossible. I'm just a swordsman."

"Why impossible?" Sakura and Naruto asked in unison. Drake tensed a little, feeling a single drop of sweat roll down the back of his neck. Their food was placed before them.

*_Whew! perfect timing!_* he thought, relieved.

"Ask me if we meet again." he said cryptically as he broke his chopsticks apart and proceeded to set a pace hard for Naruto to follow. About thirty seconds later, their bowls were both empty.

"Wow." stated Sakura, her eyes wide. "you're only the second person I've _ever_ seen that could eat a bowl of ramen faster than Naruto." .

"It wasn't faster!" pouted Naruto. "He got a head start. One bowl doesn't prove anything anyway."

"Is that a challenge Naruto-san?" asked Drake with a smirk.

"Loser has to pay the bill?" Naruto said, with a smirk of his own.

"You're on!"

An hour later, Naruto and Drake each stared at twenty one empty bowls.

"I never thought I'd see the day." the man behind the counter muttered in disbelief.

"It's a tie." stated Sakura in an equal state of disbelief.

"I should've said earlier, I haven't had anything to eat since breakfast yesterday." said Drake, scratching his head. "Sorry Naruto-san. I guess we'll split the bill."

"No problem," Naruto laughed. "If you're in ever in Konoha again we should have a rematch."

"This was a welcome change after two months on soldier pills and trail rations." Drake nodded.

"So where are you traveling?" asked Sakura, glad that she could finally do something other than watch them eat.

"I'll probably head north from here." Drake scratched his head absentmindedly, "I hear the waterfall country has nice scenery."

"That's all you're looking for?" Naruto asked skeptically. "Nice scenery?"

*_He's sharp_* "I tend to just go wherever the road takes me. I heard that the waterfall that the country is named for is amazing." said Drake honestly. "I figured it was worth checking out."

"You don't stay anywhere?" Sakura asked, sounding sympathetic.

"Meh." Drake said with a smile. "I haven't really found anywhere I really fit in yet. So I wander."

The bill arrived, and Drake payed for his portion and added on a hefty tip for the exhausted looking stand owner.

"It was nice to have met the two of you." he said as he threw his coat over his shoulders, bowed, and then began to walk off. "I hope our paths cross again."

"Good luck," Naruto called after him.

"The same to you two." stated Drake over his shoulder. "Take care of each other."

*_Why'd I have to go and make friends?_* he thought irritably as he put in his headphones. The music did its job as he slowly retraced his steps back to the inn. He hummed along, attempting to soothe his thoughts away from the people he'd met. The people he'd probably start to miss once he was on the road again.

His departure from the Hidden Village of Konoha the next afternoon was fairly uneventful. He'd stopped in a small shop to buy some soldier pills and some dried meat for the road. Then he made his way to the gate, strapping his sword in place and replacing his boot knives. It felt good to have them back. Granted, he hadn't needed them in town, but they still made him feel a little safer. Waving to the guards, he walked out. He took one last long look at the village before he pulled out his compass and began walking vaguely towards the Waterfall Country.

He'd made it about forty miles north by the time the sun was gone. Finding a nice little hollow underneath a massive tree, he laid down his bedroll and stretched out to sleep.

*_As usual._* he sighed inwardly.

Sleep was elusive, and his mind drifted to his eating contest the prior night, a smile creeping across his features. Truth be told, he could have eaten more. But it didn't seem right to mooch that big of a meal off of a man with a fiancée to take care of.

*_I'm almost out of money._* he mused. *_Guess I'll have to start doing odd jobs in the towns I pass again._* Chuckling at the memory of one of the wierder jobs he'd performed, he started to doze.

Something snapped him awake, and he'd reflexively drawn a knife before he'd even opened his eyes. He could've sworn he'd heard something off in the distance. He glanced up at the moon, less than an hour had passed.

*_Nah..._* he thought to himself. *_Probably just a bird or something._*

He waited for a few moments. Nothing. Letting out a sigh of relief, he resheathed the knife and stretched out on his bedroll. The sound came again. This time it was unmistakable, sending his hands back to the hilts of his knives. It was a sound he had heard often enough to recognize instantly. Steel meeting Steel. Someone was fighting nearby, and another clang told him they were getting closer.

*_I'll need to keep a low profile until I figure out who is fighting._* he reasoned, *_I shouldn't interfere, any more business with the villages will lead to too many questions._*

He closed his eyes and emptied his mind, listening to the sounds around him, trying to pinpoint the direction it had come from. Another clang, followed by a crash of branches. He drew one of his knives and began to slowly move toward the direction the sound had come from.

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TenTen was out of ideas. She'd been on her way back to Konoha after a simple diplomacy mission to Waterfall when she had been hit with some kind of gas. It must have been some kind of contact poison. She hadn't breathed any of it in, but it had knocked her out almost instantly.

She'd woken up tied to a tree, that didn't last. She'd managed to escape the ropes, and retrieved her scroll, but the poison was apparently still in her system. Her reflexes were completely blunted, her last dodge having sent her tumbling through the branches of a tree. Her scroll was getting too heavy to carry without slowing down. She unrolled it, summoned a pair of kunai and some shuriken, and waited.

She caught the briefest flicker of movement in the distant trees. The enemy were coming at her from the east as the sun rose. She could barely make out their shapes as they flitted through the trees. It was getting harder to see in the growing light. They had every advantage.

She heard the unmistakable hiss of a weapon flying toward her and dove away. She managed to dodge it, but just barely. She looked up, and time seemed to slow to a crawl. She saw the whole scene in perfect detail. The three sound-nin, their arms still extended from the throws. The morning light glinting from their slashed forehead protectors. The leaves of the trees as they gently swayed in the wind. The orange-red of the morning sky. The glint of something metallic as what looked like a massive shadow loomed up behind the farthest of the Sound-nin. And above all, a huge swarm of kunai, headed straight toward where they had known she would dodge.

*_This is it._* she thought, *_I can't dodge all of those in my current state._*

She closed her eyes and waited for the inevitable pain. She heard the sounds of the projectiles hitting her, many clinking off of the mesh armor she wore under her clothes, and the sound of several projectiles punching through the armor and into her body, and waited for the pain again. But the pain never came. Instead she had the novel sensation of a warm pair of arms wrapped gently around her. She opened her eyes slowly to the unexpected view of a black shirt under a long coat. She raised her gaze to the face of a huge man standing in front of her, shading her from the rising sun.

Drake grunted as he felt the projectiles continue to rain against his back. His coat had stopped most of them, but two or three had gotten through. He'd acted without thinking, grabbing the first to slit his throat and then hurling the knife at the second while he sprinted to shield the girl. It had worked surprisingly well.

He looked at her, and his breath caught in his chest as she locked eyes with him. She was as stunning as the other kunoichi he'd seen, but she looked beaten up and completely worn out. He looked at her forehead protector and saw the leaf insignia.

*_Good._* he thought. *_At least I'm interfering for the right side._*

He gave her a wink and let out a quiet "Shh," Then dropped to one knee, coughing, before falling face first on the ground.

This was a trick he'd used before. There were countless projectiles entangled in the links of his coat, so from a distance he would look like he'd been pin-cushioned by the volley. He focused to keep his gift in check as heard a malicious laugh from behind him.

"Well well..." said a smug voice, slowly approaching. "It would appear your tall friend has learned the price for attacking us."

TenTen saw the man's two accomplices, one with a long knife protruding from his chest, the other face down in a pool of blood, lying a few yards behind him. The rogue-nin and TenTen simultaneously felt for the tall strangers' chakra. There was none.

"He died to give you what? ten seconds?" The rogue-nin asked sardonically. "What a failure."

The man approached TenTen and she hurled her last kunai at his face. He caught it effortlessly. "Tsk tsk tsk..."

She saw him wind up and viciously kick the body of the man who'd tried to save her.

"I'm going to enjoy this."the rogue-nin said arrogantly as he moved to push TenTen against the tree. TenTen felt her hands pinned above her head and felt the his eyes as they moved down from her face and traversed her body.

*_Oh no..._* She didn't want him to touch her. *_Anything but that._*

Her mental plea was answered when the man was hoisted bodily off of her and slammed into the tree. She looked up and saw him being held up by his throat, his feet dangling about a foot above the ground. Held in one hand by the man who had shielded her from the storm of projectiles, who once again shaded her from the sun. She saw the Sound-nin's hands flash through a series of seals, and when he finished the chain... Nothing happened.

He tried again, with a different set of hand-signs. Nothing. The big man leaned in closer so they were nose to nose. The Sound-nin pulled a kunai and slammed it into the tall man's back.

Drake hissed in pain as he felt the kunai slide between his shoulder blades.

*_That one felt deeper than the rest. Fuck._*

He narrowed his eyes at the man he was holding and softly spoke the first verse of his code.

"Never violate a woman."

There was a sharp crack as he twisted his wrist and the man in his grip went limp.

TenTen's legs gave out, but instead of the ground, she felt the arms gently wrap around her again. As her vision began to fade her ears caught a gentle voice.

"It's okay. You're safe now. I'll take you home."

With that knowledge, and no more strength to fight, TenTen lost consciousness.

Drake moved to where he'd dropped his gear at the edge of the clearing and laid the unconscious girl down gently. He checked her pulse, the heartbeat was there, but it wasn't strong. Her breathing was even, but she felt cold. He looked her over. She didn't have any major injuries, a lot of nicks and scratches, and a gash across her left shoulder and another on her left wrist. He rummaged through his backpack for his first aid kit, eventually producing a roll of gauze and some antiseptic. After her binding her wounds, he gently wrapped her up in his bedroll.

He walked back to where the fight had happened and inspected the body of her attacker. He didn't recognize their symbol, a music note bisected by a rough slash. He decided to take the forehead protectors with him, in case he needed proof. He moved to retrieve his knife from the second one he'd killed, cleaning the blade on the man's shirt before sliding it back into his boot.

"Payback's a bitch, huh?" he mused, leaving them where they lie and shaking his shoulders to try and rid his coat of all the weapons embedded in it. Sharp pain lanced into his back, making his head spin.

*_Okay... Bad idea._* He thought as the stars faded from his vision and he glanced over his shoulder. *_Four kunai... If I pull them out I'll bleed to death before I can get her home... So they stay._* He began reciting his code like a mantra.

"Never violate a woman, nor harm a child." he whispered and began to walk back to where he'd left the girl, every step sending a jolt of pain into his back. He stuffed his first aid kit into the inner pocket of his coat.

"Do not lie, cheat, or steal, for these things are for lesser men." he muttered, throwing the girl's scroll over one of his shoulders and lifting her gently. He looped her arm over the back of his neck and held her as comfortably as he could.

"Protect the weak from the evil strong," He looked down at the girl's face. She looked peaceful.

"and never allow thoughts of gain to lead you into the pursuit of evil." He took another step, and another.

"Never back away from an enemy, either fight or surrender." He started to jog, the constant motion making his back feel like it was on fire.

"It is not enough to simply say '_I will not be evil._'" he hissed through gritted teeth. The girl's arm tightened slightly around the back of his neck.

"Evil must be fought wherever it is found." he finished and took off at a sprint.

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	3. Nor harm

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TenTen awoke with a start, looking around to try and get her bearings. She let out the breath she didn't realize she'd been holding when she recognized the bland white walls of the Konoha Hospital.

*_I'm home..._* she sighed. *_Wait, home?_* The last words she'd heard before she passed out echoed in her head. _It's okay... You're safe now. I'll take you home._ "He really carried me all the way here?" She thought aloud.

"Well, technically he only made it to the gate." spoke a voice from the doorway. TenTen looked up.

"Tsunade-sama." she stated, recognizing the speaker. She bowed her head and a wave of nausea shot through her.

"Take it easy, you had a mild concussion." warned the older woman.

"Had?" inquired TenTen.

"We treated you and your tall friend when you got in this morning." Tsunade paused. "Your injuries are all healed, and we dosed you with an antidote to the toxin you were hit with, but you may still feel the effects for a few days. You can go home when you like, but you won't be taking any missions for at least a week."

TenTen nodded and slowly stood, fighting another wave of nausea, as a thought struck her. "What day is it?"

"It's Monday."

"Three days." TenTen muttered as her eyes went wide.

"Three days?" repeated Tsunade.

"I was ambushed early Friday morning..." stated TenTen. "about forty miles north of here." Tsunade's eyes widened.

"He walked that far in the state he was in?" she asked in disbelief.

*_That kid walked forty miles, wearing a sixty pound coat, carrying TenTen, with four kunai in his back?_* she thought in wonder. *_What the hell **is** he?_*

TenTen remembered the man shielding her from the storm of projectiles, and the rogue-nin stabbing the kunai into his back.

"Can I see him?" she asked softly, looking up to make eye contact with the Hokage. Tsunade helped her to stand, and after a few steps she could support herself again. She was led into the room next door to her own.

"He's stable, but he hasn't regained consciousness yet." stated Tsunade as she closed the door behind them. "By my guess, he should wake up sometime tomorrow."

Even unconscious, the man's form was impressive. He wasn't thin by any stretch of the word, but there wasn't an ounce of fat on his frame either, he was just _massive_. TenTen noticed the myriad of scars on his chest.

*_He's been through a lot_* she thought sadly. His face was as she remembered from their brief meeting against the rogue-nin, but it was paler. Stubble was forming around his chin, and his eyes looked sunken. He was still handsome she supposed, in a rugged, untamed sort of way. Her eyes were drawn upward. In place of the bandana she had seen before he wore a simple white headband with a large seal centered on the forehead. The seal caught her eye. She didn't recognize it.

"What is...?" she began.

"We don't know." Tsunade cut her off. "According to Shikamaru, the last thing he said before he collapsed at the gate was a warning not to take it off. So we haven't. I intend to find out once he regains consciousness."

Tsunade's tone was firm. It was obvious she wanted answers.

"Why did you do this for me?" she asked softly, brushing her fingers across the man's cheek. Tsunade's expression softened.

"TenTen, go home and get some rest." she ordered gently, "He's fine for now, you can come visit him again tomorrow."

TenTen sighed, "Yes Hokage-sama." She turned and took one more look at the man who had brought her home, and left the room.

Drake felt like he was floating... he felt totally weightless, there was no resistance or pressure anywhere.

*_Am I dead?_* he wondered.

"No laddie, but you cut it pretty damn close." answered a deep voice. Drake swung to a standing position, looking around.

"Who said that?"

A form began to materialize in front of him. What began as a dark haze slowly began to take shape, becoming vaguely humanoid at first, and slowly solidifying. Drake found himself staring at a man of similar stature to himself, though not quite as tall. The man had a long gray beard and gray hair in a ponytail. His eyes were the color of the winter sky. He was solidly built, with a barrel chest and broad shoulders. He wore a Leather jerkin edged in silver, and over his shoulder he held a massive double-bladed axe.

"Is that Snaga?" Drake asked, gesturing at the axe.

"Aye." said the old warrior.

"You are Druss." stated Drake.

"That I am. Well met Drake."

"I don't understand..." began Drake.

"How I'm here?" finished Druss. "I can't say I fully understand myself laddie, but I am."

"Why?" asked Drake.

"I came to tell you I think you are a worthy successor, your rescue of that girl proved that to me."

"Successor?" Drake questioned. "How can I be your successor? You're..."

"You follow the code." Stated Druss firmly. "_My_ code. In a time when I am long since dead and forgotten. The code survives in you. _That_ makes you my successor, and now you go back to the living world knowing this."

"Will we meet again?" asked Drake.

"I can't say laddie." said Druss with a smile. "As you well know, I shouldn't be here."

"Yeah, that is kind of weird." admitted Drake.

"It is almost time for you to return. It was good to have met you laddie." Druss said.

"Likewise." said Drake, extending his hand. "Take care of Rowena."

"That I will." smiled Druss as he shook Drake's hand, the warrior's grip, wrist to wrist. Drake watched Druss dissipate, feeling the grip on his wrist loosen, and slowly everything faded to black.

TenTen couldn't sleep.

*_Not really surprising_* she mused. *_According to Tsunade-sama I was out for three days solid._* She threw off the blankets and sat up, looking at the clock. 11:00 PM. *_I wonder if he's awake yet._*

The events of her ambush and subsequent rescue had replayed in her mind several times over the course of the day. She had an idea.

*_What the hell. What else am I going to do? Stare at the ceiling for another six hours?_*

She changed into one of her Kimono-tops and a pair of comfortable pants, and, after locking her apartment door, took off across the rooftops in the direction of the Hospital.

"What did you do to yourself?" Sakura asked as she hooked on a fresh IV bag and set about checking Drake's vitals. He was still unconscious, but she had felt the need to break the silence. She'd taken the night shift and discovered the man whom she'd seen battle her fiancé at the ramen stand lying in the surgery recovery wing. Rumor was that he had killed a sound-nin that had ambushed TenTen and then carried her all the way back to Konoha.

Sakura was still skeptical. Not that she thought little of him, but he wasn't even a ninja. As far as she could tell the man had a low chakra capacity, even for a civilian. She'd have to get the real story from TenTen the next time she saw the weapon mistress. She pulled out her stethoscope and proceeded to check his heartbeat.

"Mmm... Cold." mumbled the man on the bed, one of his hands moving to push the stethoscope away. Sakura looked on in disbelief as the big man's eyes slowly opened. Drake looked sleepily at the young woman next to him and his brow furrowed.

"Sakura...san?" He looked around the room. "Where the hell am I?"

"You're in the Konoha Hospital." she said slowly, still not quite believing he was awake.

"How long was I out?" he asked her.

"Almost sixteen hours." said the pink-haired girl.

"Wow... a good night's sleep for me is usually three or four." he stated.

"That's not healthy." Sakura stated, her mood lightening a little.

"Is the girl safe?" Drake asked, looking worried and trying to sit up.

"She's fine. TenTen went home earlier today."

The big man sighed in relief and slumped back down to the bed. "Her name is TenTen." he stated, more to himself than Sakura.

"You didn't know?" asked Sakura, astonished.

"She passed out before we got the chance to talk. I think they hit her with some kind of poison."

"They did, we gave her an antidote." Sakura stated. "How in the world did you carry her back here in the shape you were in?"

"I couldn't let her die out there." he stated. "I seem to have a weakness for pretty girls."

*_Aww..._* sighed Inner Sakura. *_He's blushing._*

"So you got here on pure will?" asked Sakura.

"Pure will and about twelve blood pills." chuckled Drake. "Can you help me sit up?" She moved to the bedside and helped him lift himself into a sitting position.

"So why did you tell Shikamaru not to take off your headband?" asked Sakura. A panicked look entered the big man's eyes and he reached up to check his forehead, he relaxed noticeably and exhaled a deep breath when he felt the headband still in place. "Why so worried?"

"Remember when I told you I could never be a ninja?" asked Drake.

"Yes." answered Sakura.

"This is why." said Drake cryptically, pointing at the seal.

"What is it?" asked Sakura.

"A seal." the big man said cautiously.

"Thank you." she deadpanned, eyes narrowing. "What does it seal?"

"I get the feeling I'm going to be answering that question a lot in the near future." He took a deep breath and pulled the seal off, setting it on the nightstand next to him.

"Nothing's happening." said Sakura after a few moments had passed.

"Channel some chakra into your hand." said Drake calmly. Sakura did so, her hand glowed a light blue. "Try to channel the chakra into me." said Drake. Sakura moved to do so, when her hand was about two feet from Drake the chakra around it dissipated.

"Whoa." she said simply.

"Try to channel it back into your hand." Sakura did so. Nothing happened.

"You can suppress chakra." asked Sakura with an astonished voice. "Completely?"

"Completely." he affirmed. "But to say that I '_can_' would imply that I had a choice in the matter." he replied, "It's more like I **_do_** suppress chakra."

"That's how you beat the Sound-nin." stated Sakura, putting the two pieces together.

"Exactly. They were too confident in their jutsu, when I took it away it went to straight physical combat, which..." Drake raised his arms in front of him. "I'm fairly well equipped for."

"You said you don't have a choice. What do you mean?" asked Sakura.

"I can't shut it off. If I focus hard enough I can shrink the area it covers, but that's all." Drake continued, "If I fall asleep or let go of it, it goes to about a fifty foot radius around me, the seal on my headband keeps it in."

"That's why you told us not to take it off." stated Sakura.

"If you had. It would've blocked all medical jutsu in a hundred-foot-wide chunk of your hospital." Drake mused. "That probably would've ended badly."

Sakura was silent.

"You see why I can't find a place where I fit in?" Drake asked, sounding a little bitter. "People never seem to like me."

"I'm sorry." she said, putting her hand on his shoulder.

"It's alright, I'm used to it. I think I'm going to get some more sleep." he said, laying back on the bed.

"Alright, get some rest." Sakura said simply.

"Thank you, Sakura-san."

"Hit the call button if you need anything." she said, quietly leaving the room and rushing to report what she'd learned.

Drake waited for the girl's hurried footsteps to fade into the distance before he tried to sit up. It took a few tries. He was awake now, which meant it would be a long time before he could sleep again. He stood up shakily, grabbing the IV pole to support himself. He hobbled his way around the room for a while, until his legs stopped shaking. Walking into the bathroom, he poured himself a glass of water, glancing at the mirror. His reflection was pale, eyes sunken. He would need to shave when he got his razor back. Bandages were wrapped around part of his chest, probably to hold the bandages on his back. He turned around and looked at the bundle of gauze on his back.

*_Four more scars._* he thought as he poured himself another glass.

He'd need to get out of this stifling little room. He could sleep here, but he couldn't just sit around for hours on end until he was tired. He walked back into the room and looked out the window at the sky. No clouds, and the stars were bright. Then the roof would be ideal. He pulled the needles from his arms and turned off the heart monitor. He found his backpack against the wall near the door. Retrieving his headphones, he had an idea.

*_No use in making her worry too much._*

After sticking the scribbled note to his pillow, He put his ear to the door to listen for Sakura. No sound. So she'd gone to report what she'd learned. Grabbing a spare pillow, he slowly opened the door and began to make his way to the roof.

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Drake put in his headphones and lay back on the rooftop. He looked up at the stars and let his mind drift. Maybe he was meant to be in this village. After all, he had ended up here again after three days. Maybe he could fit in here. Maybe they wouldn't resent him for his 'gift'. Maybe he was just thinking too much. His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of someone landing on the roof.

"How's your arm?" he asked.

TenTen was surprised. "How did you know I was there?"

Drake tapped the side of his nose. "Smelled shampoo."

"I meant back at the room." she said, walking into view.

"So did I." he said. "You didn't answer my question."

"Good as new." she answered simply, feeling strangely at-ease with him. "How's your back?"

"It'll heal." he smirked. "So how much of my conversation with Sakura did you overhear?"

"I came in somewhere around 'How long was I out?'." she answered.

"So now you know how I did it." he said flatly as he sat up.

"I know how, but what I really want to know is why." she responded.

"What kind of question is that?" Drake asked.

"Why did you do all of this for me? You don't even know me." she asked quietly.

"I didn't think. I just reacted." his voice softened. "I couldn't just stand there and watch them hurt you."

TenTen didn't know how to react. She just stared at the man sitting in front of her, so Drake decided to break the silence.

"Didn't you catch the part about me having a weakness for pretty girls?" he asked with a grin. TenTen was glad it was dark out, because she was pretty sure she was blushing by now. "Speechless?" *_Am I flirting? Where the hell is this coming from?_* Drake thought as he laid back to look at the stars again.

"So..." TenTen started, eager to change the subject. "Where did you come from?"

"I don't really remember where I was born. I remember I'd have to leave each town I stayed in when I slipped up and someone discovered my little 'gift'." Drake continued, "I could only put up with so much." He sighed before continued. "Being called a 'monster' or a 'freak' or 'soulless' grates on your nerves when you're young."

"I imagine." TenTen admitted.

"When I was eleven, I slipped up and someone tried to kill me for it. I knocked him out, but the town never looked at me the same. After that, I left my home and started wandering." Drake thought for a moment. "It's been almost nine years since then."

"You haven't had a home for nine years?" She asked with sympathy.

"Just abou..." he began.

"Wait." she cut him off.

"What?" he asked.

"_You're my age!?_" She asked in disbelief.

"Why wouldn't I be?" he asked.

"You're like three times my size!" she stated.

"I get that a lot." he admitted with a chuckle.

"Well, you've heard my story, such as it is. What's yours?" Drake asked.

TenTen laid down next to him. "Well, I was born here in Konoha..."

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**THREE HOURS LATER**

"I should probably get back to my room." stated Drake, looking at the rising sun. "Sakura-san is going to kill me if she finds out I've been out of bed for this long."

"I'll come visit you later, okay?" asked TenTen

"I'd like that." admitted Drake. "See you later TenTen-san"

"You don't need the 'san'." she said with a smile. "Just call me my name."

"Likewise then." he smirked back. "Just Drake."

"Okay." she nodded. "I'll see you later today Drake."

"I'll be here TenTen." Drake smiled as he watched her leave, leaping effortlessly across rooftops like only a ninja could.

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	4. A child

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TenTen walked down the bland hallways of the Konoha Hospital. She was eager to see Drake again. She wasn't quite sure how, but it seemed she'd made a friend overnight. Truth be told, she _had_ been somewhat lacking in the friend department lately.

Neji had just gotten married, something arranged by Hiashi to benefit his clan, and as a result had been up to his neck in arrangements and paperwork. Lee had been putting his all into training the team of genin he'd been recently assigned about the "Springtime of Youth". It made her shudder. However, though she missed him, she was glad Lee hadn't managed to convince any of his students to wear one of those hideous green jumpsuits. Sakura had been plotting her wedding by day and working long hours at the hospital by night. Ino was trying to get into ANBU and was up to her neck in training.

The list went on. It seemed that whenever TenTen got some down-time between missions, all her friends were too busy for her. It had been nice talking to someone who wasn't. She quietly knocked on the door. The door opened to reveal Sakura sitting beside the bed changing an IV bag.

"Hello Ten-chan." she said with a smile.

"Good morning Sakura-chan." replied TenTen, "Is he awake?"

"No, not yet. He snuck out of the room last night." said Sakura irritably, "Getting out of bed in this condition! can you believe that? He even took out his IV!" TenTen looked at the man on the bed, and blinked when she saw one of his eyes open and look back.

"What?" asked Sakura, seeing the suprise on TenTen's face. She turned to regard the man, who was still sleeping peacefully. TenTen had never had to try so hard not to burst out laughing. Something about the sheer childishness of the situation was unbearably funny.

"Well, I've got to go deliver his medical report to Tsunade-sama, can you watch him for me? It shouldn't be more than ten minutes."

"Sure," agreed TenTen, still fighting off the laughter. "I think I can manage that."

"If there's an emergency hit this." said Sakura as she pointed to the big red button on the side of the bed.

"Okay." said TenTen, still fighting.

"I'll be back soon." stated Sakura as she walked out of the room. When TenTen felt the pink-haired girl's chakra recede to a safe distance her facade crumbled and she laughed. She laughed so hard that after a few seconds she had to sit down to avoid falling.

"Thanks," she said, wiping tears from her eyes. "I haven't laughed that hard in a long time."

"Glad to be of service." said the man on the bed without opening his eyes.

"Why didn't you just let her know you were awake?" asked TenTen with a wide smile.

"It's way too early in the morning for politics." he stated.

"Politics?" TenTen was confused.

"The way I see it..." Drake said, sounding defeated. "As soon as I'm back on my feet, I get to go meet the Hokage, explain my 'gift', and, in all likelihood, get told to leave."

"Why would you get told to leave?" asked TenTen, feeling panic for some reason.

"My power makes me a huge liability." he said sadly. "When a village finds out about it I tend to get either thrown in prison or thrown out of town."

"You've been thrown in prison just for being like this?" she asked, shocked.

"In the Mist village." he stated quietly. "for about eight months."

"How did you escape?" she asked.

"I didn't escape, although I could have. I decided not to."

"Why not?" she asked.

"Escaping would have been breaking the law." he reasoned. "Plus the free room and board wasn't that bad."

"Then how?" she began

"They let me out." he stated, remembering. "The village was being raided, the enemy were using genjutsu, I offered to help." His hand unconsciously moved to a jagged scar on his stomach.

"Is that how you got that scar?" she asked, entranced in his story.

He looked to where his hand was and nodded. "The leader of the raid was good with a Katana, damn good." he turned to show her a matching scar on his back. "I had to get stabbed to get the damn thing away from him. Luckily it missed my vitals." He paused. "When I came to, the Mizukage was there. He told me I was free, but if I ever came back they'd kill me."

"That's not fair." TenTen said, her voice angry. "How could they treat you like that when you fought for their village?"

Drake shrugged. "I don't know, but they always do."

"We won't treat you like that." stated TenTen.

"I believe _you_." he admitted with a smile, "It's the rest of the village I'm worried about. You can come in Sakura-san!"

The door slowly opened. "Sorry." the pink haired medic said bashfully. "didn't want to interrupt."

"So when do I meet with the Hokage?" Drake asked.

"How did you know?" Sakura looked baffled.

"Past experience." he said simply, and Sakura saw a sad expression pass over TenTen's features.

"As soon as you're ready, apparently someone has already vouched for your character." she said, looking at the other girl in the room with a smirk. One of Drake's eyebrows rose. He looked curiously at TenTen. She blushed and started to stutter.

"I... I can explain... I bumped into Tsunade-sama this morning... and I... I thought I'd..." she went quiet when she felt his hand settle on top of her own.

"Thank you." he said softly, looking her in the eyes. Sakura watched the moment the two were sharing, intent on not doing anything to interrupt.

"You don't need to thank me. You saved me from being..." she looked away. "This was the least I could do."

"Thank you TenTen." he repeated quietly as he released her hand.

Nobody spoke for a couple minutes.

"You'd better get ready." stated Sakura. "Tsunade-sama will be expecting you soon."

Drake nodded and slowly walked to his pack to get a clean shirt. He started to lift his arms to put it on. When he lifted his right arm moved intense pain flared through his back. He reached out to steady himself against the wall.

"Or not." he muttered, waiting for the stars to clear from his vision.

TenTen moved to help him stretch the shirt on without lifting his arm too high. He thanked her breathlessly and set about covering his headband with a black bandana from his pack, it took him a bit longer one handed.

"Sakura-san," he began, "May I ask where you've hidden my coat?"

Sakura walked beside the tall man as they slowly made their way through the streets of Konoha to the Hokage's office. She watched him rotate his right shoulder slowly. He was wearing his coat over his shoulders like a cape. He had his hands buried in his pockets and he looked apprehensive.

"Don't be so nervous," TenTen attempted to reassure him. "I'm sure it will be fine."

"That would be a first." he said without a trace of sarcasm in his voice. After a long walk, they arrived at the impressive building that housed the office of the Hokage. Drake felt cold resignation building in the pit of his stomach as they navigated the twisting hallways.

"Here we are." Sakura said simply, gesturing to one nondescript door among the many that dotted the hall. Drake took a deep breath and knocked on the door.

"Enter." was heard from the other side. He opened the door and walked in, eyes on the floor.

"Hello Drake, my name is Tsunade." a woman's voice spoke from the desk. "I am the Hokage."

"It's an honor to meet you Hokage-sama, as you know, I am Drake". He bowed deeply, gritting his teeth when his back stretched painfully.

"You look nervous."

"I don't have a good track record with the hidden villages." Drake muttered simply, looking up. Drake blinked. He was expecting some wrinkled old beaurocrat. The woman he was looking at was stunning. She couldn't be more than thirty, with a beautiful face and a nice figure. A _very_ nice figure. He remembered he'd been spoken to and regained his composure.

"Now you look surprised." she stated, sounding amused.

"Well, in my experience most politicians are..." he paused. "How do I word this?" He decided to be blunt. "...ugly."

Tsunade smiled. "Well, I am not most politicians then... am I?"

Now it was Drake's turn to smile. "...apparently not."

"From what TenTen told me I would assume you aren't very fond of shinobi. Am I right?" the older woman asked, gauging his reactions.

"Actually it's usually the other way around." he stated, relaxing a little. "I have no problem with Shinobi, they just don't really ever seem to like me."

"What about TenTen?" Tsunade decided to try pushing his buttons. "She seems to have taken a liking to you."

Drake tensed a little, which did not go unnoticed by Tsunade. "She's different." he said simply.

"And she seems to trust you. Granted, if you went through what she says you did..." she paused "It would seem you earned it."

"_If_ I went through it?" Drake asked.

"I'd like to know what happened." stated the Hokage. "In detail."

Drake took off his bandana and pointed at the seal on his headband. "Sakura-san told you about this?" he inquired. Tsunade nodded. "Okay, that saves me from having to explain it again." he continued. "as you probably know from the guys at the gate, I stopped in this village last Thursday to resupply." he stated

And so, Drake slowly explained to the Hokage what exactly had transpired from the time he'd left to his return.

Two hours later, TenTen sat in the waiting area outside the Hokage's office and tried not to fidget. She was worried about Drake. He'd told her he would probably be asked to leave the village as soon as he was healed. She didn't want that to happen. She couldn't explain it, but she didn't want him to leave. That was why she'd come to the Hokage first thing in the morning to explain everything. She idly remembered the last thing she and the Hokage had discussed.

**FLASHBACK**

"Could he stay here?" asked the brown haired kunoichi, barely above a whisper. "He hasn't had a home in nine years."

"In a best case scenario, the council will have to come to a verdict. To influence that verdict, it would be best if he could serve the village somehow."

TenTen wracked her brain for a way for him to provide something nobody else could. *_That's it!_*

"I have an idea." she began, "He could..."

A voice shook her from the memory.

"Ten-chan?" asked Sakura shaking the other girl's arm. "You spaced out on me."

"What? oh sorry Sakura-chan" TenTen muttered.

"What were you thinking about?" Sakura asked, curiosity showing in her green eyes.

"Oh, nothing." said TenTen, looking at her feet.

"What really happened when you got ambushed?" asked Sakura, out of the blue.

"What do you mean?" asked TenTen, knowing the pink-haired girl had heard the story from Drake.

"Why do you trust him so much? and why did you seem to already know each other when I got back to the room this afternoon?"

TenTen told Sakura about his shielding her from the huge storm of kunai and shuriken. "Then he fell over, I thought he was dead." she continued. "The last Sound-nin backed me against a tree and was about to..." her voice trailed off, tears welling in her eyes. Sakura's eyes widened. "I could feel his eyes all over me. It was disgusting. But before he could touch me, Drake had him a hanging a foot off the ground." she stated with a small smile, remembering the moment vividly "He didn't even flinch when the man stabbed him in the back. He just twisted his wrist, and it was over."

"So he played dead to trick the sound-nin." stated Sakura, more to herself than to TenTen. TenTen nodded. "What happened next?"

"I remember him catching me, just before I passed out. He said 'It's okay... you're safe now. I'll take you home.'." TenTen said, tears starting to form in her eyes. "And then he carried me all the way here. I remember drifting in and out when he was carrying me and just feeling safe. Safe and warm. Whenever I'm near him I feel like I did then."

Sakura couldn't think of anything to say.

"I was going to die, and he came out of nowhere and almost died to save me, and now he may have to leave." she started to sob, all the emotion she'd been holding in from her ordeal came forth.

"It's okay, it's okay Ten-chan, let it out." Sakura brought the other girl into a tight hug.

*_These two already have quite the connection..._* she thought, *_...and what's it been? ...two days? well... technically five..._* Sakura waited a few minutes until the brunette had calmed down. "Well that answers the first part of my question." she stated. "Now how did you two get to know each other so well in the ten minutes I was gone today?"

"Remember when he woke up last night?" asked TenTen, wiping her eyes.

"How do you know about that?" asked the pink-haired girl.

"I couldn't sleep last night," she said simply. "So I went back to the hospital."

"So you were there?" asked Sakura.

"I was outside the window." TenTen replied.

"So you heard everything we talked about?"

"Pretty much." admitted TenTen. "After you left he snuck out and went to the roof."

"So that's where he went." stated Sakura

"I was looking for him." began TenTen "and when I landed on the roof he heard me."

"So you two talked?" It wasn't really a question.

"Until the sun rose." nodded TenTen.

*_How romantic..._* chimed Inner Sakura,

"So that's where he was coming from when I caught him outside his room."

"Yep." confirmed TenTen. "I went home and ate breakfast, and then came here to talk to Tsunade-sama." Sakura was about to respond when the door to the Hokage's office opened again. Both girls looked up to see Drake walking out, followed by Tsunade. Tsunade gave the girls a smile.

"I've decided to give Drake-kun here a chance to prove his usefulness." she stated. "A month from now, we will test him, he's already agreed to the method of testing. After the test the council will make their decision. Until then, he will stay in Konoha."

Drake let a smirk appear on his face. TenTen and Sakura both smiled. He turned to face Tsunade.

"Hokage-sama, I have one request." he said politely.

"What?" she asked.

"Can I stay somewhere other than the Hospital?" he asked. "It's one of the nicest Hospitals I've ever regained consciousness in." he continued, noticing the smirk it induced from the blond Hokage. "But your beds are too small."

Tsunade laughed. A real, heartfelt laugh. "I'll see what I can do."

"Thank you Hokage-sama."

"You're welcome." she said. "Now go eat something. Your stomach has been growling for the last hour."

"Yes ma'am." he said with a smirk as he bowed and began to walk toward the Exit. TenTen followed him out the doors of the Hokage's building.

"Looks like I get to stay." said Drake as they slowly walked the streets in the direction of Konoha Hospital.

"I'm glad." said TenTen.

"Is there anywhere besides Ichiraku that has good food here?" he asked.

"You know Ichiraku?" TenTen asked him.

"Yeah, when I was here resupplying last week Sakura-san's fiancé showed it to me." he stated. "We had an eating contest."

"How close did you get?" she asked.

"It was a tie." Drake said simply. "Twenty one each."

TenTen stopped in her tracks. "You... ate as much ramen as Naruto?" her voice conveyed her disbelief. "I didn't think that was possible."

"I have a high metabolism." Drake shrugged. "So, where should we eat?"

"I don't know." she began.

"Well _you_ live here." he stated. "Pick somewhere."

"What do you feel like having?" she looked up at him.

"I haven't eaten for three days." he stated. "I think dirt would taste good right now." He took a contemplative pose while eying the ground they were walking on.

TenTen laughed. "Okay, there's a barbecue place around the corner. The food there is good."

"Better than dirt?" he asked, trying to make her laugh again.

She did. "Better than dirt."

Tsunade watched the two of them walk away through the window. It had been a long time since she'd seen TenTen laugh like that. After her team had gone their separate ways, the young weapon mistress had been somewhat distant, immersing herself in her missions and her training. Her idea for what to have this stranger do for the village was brilliant... but she'd have to wait and see what the council thought after his evaluation. Eventually they vanished into a nearby restaurant and she went back to her paperwork.

TenTen and Drake found a booth near the windows of the barbecue, and she helped ease him down into his seat.

"So what is this 'Test' that Tsunade-sama has lined up for you?" TenTen asked as she sipped her drink.

"It's a fight." Drake said simply.

"A fight?" she asked.

"Yeah, all I have to do is beat some guy named Lee." he stated nonchalantly.

TenTen froze.

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	5. Do not lie,

GrizzlyTeddyBear: He has no Idea...

I wrote the fight with Lee... then realized that I couldn't justify just saying 'one month later' and skipping straight to it. So you guys get two chapters this time....

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*FIVE DAYS LATER*

Drake lay in his hospital bed with his headphones in his ears. He was bored. He glared at the door, willing someone interesting to walk through it. Nothing. He could go for a walk.

*_No, too boring._*

He'd already explored the entire hospital. He looked at his coat, hanging over the chair. It had been washed. His eyes were drawn to the ragged holes in it, the split chainmail was showing through.

*_Well... I've got nothing else to do._*

Drake opened his pack and pulled out a small wooden box that contained his repair kit. He took the liner out of the trenchcoat. He sat down on the bed and laid the damaged portion of the chainmail across his lap. He emptied the contents of the box next to him on the bed. Two pairs of pliers, a file, a needle, a spool of black thread, and about thirty spare steel rings clattered onto the bed. He picked up a pair of pliers and some spare rings and started working. Ten minutes later, he was so wrapped up in his work he didn't notice when the door opened and Sakura came into the room.

"Drake-san?" she asked gently. No response. "Drake-san?" she asked, a little louder this time.

He looked up, taking one of his headphones out. "Oh, hi Sakura-san." he acknowledged, "I didn't hear you come in."

"We need to change your dressings." she stated.

"Okay." he set aside the chainmail and turned around as Sakura went about removing the bandages.

"It looks like you've healed enough for us to remove the stitches." she stated cheerfully.

"That's good." he stated "The sooner I can hit the training grounds the better."

"Training grounds?" she sounded puzzled. "Why do you need to train?"

"The council is having me fight one of the village's shinobi to test me." he stated. "I need to be ready."

"Let me know if there's anything I can do to help." she supplied.

"Actually there is one thing." he stated.

Her eyebrows quirked curiously. "Hmm?"

"Is your fiancé busy next week?" he asked. She shook her head.

"He has the week off. Why?"

"I need a sparring partner." Drake stated simply. "I only know you, Naruto, TenTen, and the Hokage."

"Why not ask TenTen?" the pink-haired girl asked.

"I couldn't _hit_ TenTen." he stated, blushing a bit.

*_Awww..._* Sakura and Inner Sakura thought at the same time.

"I'll ask him for you." she said, breaking the silence.

"Thanks." he said quietly.

"Okay, I think it's time to get those stitches out, I'll be right back." and with that she walked out the door, leaving Drake to his thoughts.

TenTen walked the hallways of the Konoha hospital, her feet carrying her to her destination without her applying any real thought to where she was going. Her visiting Drake had become a daily event. She reached the room and knocked on the door. No answer. She knocked again. Still nothing. She opened the door and looked inside. It looked like he was sleeping, lying on the bed with his headphones in. She walked in and quietly sat in the chair next to the bed, just watching the rise and fall of his massive chest. Her eyes focused on a scar on his shoulder, then moved to another near his neck as she remembered his story about the battle in the mist village.

*_I wonder if each scar has a story..._*

Her eyes moved up to the seal on his forehead. It seemed so unassuming. Just a single kanji within a circle inscribed on a plain white headband. To think that it held something so powerful contained.

"Hello TenTen." his voice spoke suddenly.

"Gah!" TenTen jumped. "You're awake?"

He pulled his headphones out. "I was just remembering how comfortable a bed is when you don't have stitches and gauze all over your back." he said as he sat up and turned.

"What are you listening to?" she asked, her eyes focusing on the headphones hanging around his neck.

"My soul-song." he stated.

"Soul-song?" she asked.

"It's just a silly name I came up with for it." he stated, blushing a little. "No matter how bad I feel, this song makes me feel better." he paused. "It soothes my soul. Thats why I call it that. That sounded a lot less childish in my head."

"Can I listen?" she asked, moving to sit next to him.

"Sure." he handed her the headphones. TenTen put the headphones in her ears and closed her eyes. The song was very soothing, almost hypnotic even, she had the mental image of running along endless rolling plains without a care in the world. TenTen felt herself relax and felt her thoughts become peaceful. Drake got up and walked into the bathroom to splash some water on his face, and she noticed that there were far fewer scars on his back than his front. Her eyes were drawn to the four newest ones, still pink and healing.

"How did you do it?" She asked, taking the headphones out of her ears.

"What?" he asked,

"How did you survive that day?" she asked quietly. "There must have been fifty weapons flying at us, and I heard them all hit you. How did you survive?"

He chuckled. "Grab my coat for me." She walked over to the rack it was hanging on and grabbed it.

"What does this have to do with any... whoa." she lifted it slowly. "This is _heavy_!"

"Bring it here." he asked politely, sitting back down on the bed.

She did so and sat down next to him on the bed. He unzipped the inner lining of the coat and TenTen saw what looked like steel mesh. Closer examination revealed it to be a pattern of tiny metal rings.

"This is a little secret of mine." he stated. "It's called chainmail."

"You made this?" She asked, running her fingers over the rings.

"I stayed with a blacksmith for a while when I was younger." he smiled, remembering. "Old man Tachi. He invented it. Said it was too heavy to be practical."

"You use it." TenTen offered.

"I'm a bit of an exception." stated Drake looking down at his oversized body. TenTen followed his gaze and looked at the myriad of scars again. A long silence hung in the air for a few moments.

"Do you remember them all?" she asked without thinking.

"Every one." he replied and fell silent.

"Which one has your favorite story?" she asked, trying to avoid another awkward silence.

"Not one, four." he corrected carefully.

"Which four?" she asked, missing his implication. "What's the story?"

"I got them saving a beautiful princess from three barbarians." he stated, watching her face. He watched her eyes narrow as she scrutinized his chest.

"Which four?"

*_How specific do I need to be for her to realize what I'm saying?_* he thought irritably.

"These." he said, pointing over his shoulder at the four new scars.

He watched as the realization dawned in her eyes and the blush light her cheeks.

"Why would those be your favorite?" she asked. "Almost dying to save a complete stranger."

"Well, you haven't judged me for this." he gestured at his headband, staring at the floor. "And you helped me with Tsunade-sama. That puts you head and shoulders above any other complete stranger I've met."

He looked up, and the green of his eyes met the soft brown of her own. They just stared for a few seconds, their faces slowly getting closer. Something was about to happen. They could both feel it. Their faces were just inches apart. Then the door opened.

"Drake-san, Tsunade-sama would like to see you." Sakura's voice cut through the moment like a spear. Drake's eyes fell to the floor as let out a defeated sigh.

"Thank you Sakura-san."

"I should probably get going." TenTen stated nervously, handing him the headphones.

"I'll see you tomorrow?" Drake asked, his voice hopeful.

"Sure." She replied as she walked out of the room.

Drake knocked on the door to the Hokage's office, his thoughts dark.

"Enter." was heard from the other side.

He walked in. "You wanted to see me Hokage-sama?"

She smiled. "Catch!" He saw her throw something his way. He caught the object and turned it over in his hands.

"What are these?" he said, eying the keys.

"The keys to where you'll be staying until the match." stated Tsunade.

"Thank you Hokage-sama." he said.

"This is for you too." she tossed him a full coin purse. "For your gallant rescue of one of Konoha's shinobi."

"I can't accept this." he stated, tossing it back.

"Why not?" asked the blond woman incredulously.

"My code." stated the tall man. "I didn't save her for a reward. I saved her because it was the right thing to do."

"Then consider it a personal 'thank you' from me." stated Tsunade "You'll need money to live on for rest of the month."

Drake sighed, "You aren't going to let me say no, are you?"

"No." stated the woman flatly, tossing the pouch to him.

Two days later, Drake slowly made his way through the training grounds, checking the various terrain for a sign of Naruto. Sakura had told him he'd here at this time. Eventually he caught sight of blond hair and copious amounts of orange in one of the clearings.

"Drake-san!" he heard the blonde's voice yell. He waved.

"It's good to see you again Naruto-san." he said as he approached.

"Good to see you back on your feet." stated the blonde.

"It's good to be back." admitted Drake.

"Sakura-chan told me what's going on." stated the blonde.

"I only have two weeks to get ready." stated Drake as he began stretching his muscles. "Lets begin shall we?"

"So what do you need to work on?" asked the whiskered blonde.

"I need you to help me with my reaction speed." Drake admitted. "I'm pretty strong, and I'm pretty tough, but I can't keep up with the speed of a Jounin, nowhere near it. From what I hear, Lee is fast even for a Jounin."

"I think I have just the method..." The whiskered man's hands formed a seal. The clearing was suddenly filled with hundreds of copies of Naruto. Drake smiled grimly and settled into a fighting stance. It was going to be a long two weeks.

Drake looked into the mirror... The green eyes that glared back at him looked strong.

Today was the day of the fight, and he hadn't gotten any sleep. He couldn't sleep. His entire month had been spent in preparation for this day. Naruto had trained with him to help him increase his speed.

Today was the day he would find out if that training had borne fruit. Today was the day he would show the council his power and skills. Today was the day they would decide if he could stay in the village or not, whether he had a found himself a home or not, whether he could stay with _her_ or not. The fight was two hours away, he donned his coat and walked to the arena. He had some thinking to do.

TenTen found him meditating on the floor of one of the preparation rooms under the Arena. They had been somewhat distant since the incident at the hospital, with her getting back into the mission rotation and him focusing on his training with Naruto. His back was to the door, and his coat was thrown over one of the chairs.

"Is it time?" he asked, sounding much calmer than he really was.

"Almost. I still don't want you to do this." she stated, her voice getting closer.

"I don't really have a choice." he stated, "But don't worry, I'll be..." he stopped when he felt her arms wrap around him from behind and her chin came to rest on his shoulder. His right hand moved up to intertwine with her own. Neither of them moved for a few minutes, both of them just enjoying the simple physical contact.

"Please don't get hurt." she finally whispered.

"I won't." he replied gently.

They remained as they were for a couple more minutes, until a light knock sounded at the door. Drake turned his head and saw an ANBU standing in the doorway, mask impassive as always. He let out a sigh when he felt TenTen let him go.

"It's time."

He squeezed TenTen's hand before reluctantly untangling his own and standing.

Donning his gear, he walked down the short hallway and into the sunlight of the arena, flanked by TenTen and the nameless ANBU operative

"Good luck." TenTen said warmly, before leaping up into the stands.

He took off his headband, feeling his 'gift' spread to cover the area around him. He handed the headband to the ANBU next to him.

"This will suppress my ability if brought into contact with me." he stated. "Should I get knocked out..." The ANBU nodded. Drake replaced his bandana and walked to where his opponent was waiting, the ANBU following him.

"It's nice to finally meet you Lee-san." he stated, extending his hand. *_That there be a man who is very secure with himself._*

Lee shook the offered hand "You as well Drake-san. No hard feelings about this, right?"

"None whatsoever." Drake answered as an observation struck him. "You're unarmed?" Lee nodded. "I thought this fight was no-holds-barred."

"It is." confirmed Lee. Drake sighed and unstrapped the sword at his back, likewise unsheathing the knives in his boots, handing them to the ANBU as well.

"You sure?" asked Lee.

"Call it a matter of pride." Drake stated, cracking his knuckles.

"Fighters to your places." boomed the voice of the Hokage. Drake and Lee each took up their respective fighting stances about twenty feet apart.

"Begin!"

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	6. Cheat, or steal,

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"Begin!" Tsunade's voice boomed.

Lee rushed at Drake and aimed a punch at his chest. Drake caught the punch effortlessly. Lee's other fist hooked around to impact squarely on the right side of Drake's jaw.

Drake didn't move, he didn't even blink.

He swung back, but Lee was already gone, reappearing beside him.

Drake caught Lee's foot as the smaller man tried to land a kick on his stomach.

"You're holding back." Drake said simply.

"So are you." Lee replied evenly.

"We're here to fight each other, not kill each other. But still..." Drake blocked another punch, a smile tugging at his features. "Might as well give 'em a show while we're here."

Lee returned the smile, a glimmer of approval in his eyes, and then disappeared altogether.

*_Holy shit he's fast!_* thought Drake as he dove to one side, vaguely registering a green blur streak by. Lee reappeared about fifteen feet to Drake's right, throwing out a hand to keep himself from falling.

"I can't use my chakra to enhance my grip on the ground." Lee stated, realizing what that meant for the fight.

"You got it." confirmed Drake. "Looks like you're actually _too_ fast for once."

Lee smiled and disappeared again. Sheer instinct brought Drake's right arm up to deflect the kick coming through the air towards his head.

*_He may not be at his maximum..._* Drake blocked another kick, and Lee used the momentum to swing his other foot into the big man's midsection. *_...but he's still a hell of a lot faster than I am._*

Lee's movements became much tougher to read after that. Drake's reflexes had been honed by years of fighting. They were fast, but Lee was faster. It seemed like for every hit or two he blocked, one slipped past his guard.

Drake caught another kick and swung back. Lee blocked, but was forced back ten full feet by the force of the hit.

*_Just be patient._* thought Drake, barely managing to block a kick. *_Wait for him to get comfortable... he'll fall into a pattern._*

With that, Drake began to bide his time, analyzing Lee's style. He stopped another kick aimed at the side of his head, catching the green-clad man's leg at the ankle. The kick had more force behind it than seemed possible. Drake felt metal under the padding on Lee's leg.

"If you don't mind me asking," he began, failing a block and taking a punch to the shoulder. "Are you wearing armor or weights?"

"Weights." Lee admitted, swinging a crescent kick at the big man's head.

"It suits your style." Drake admitted, catching the kick. "Makes you hit harder."

Lee nodded and dodged Drake's halfhearted counterattack. The Taijutsu specialist rained blows on the bigger man, who managed to stop about half of them, never swinging back.

After twenty minutes of this, and the crowd had begun to murmur and boo. Oblivious to their discontent at his lack of offense, Drake finally hit back.

Lee was coming in to attack from the tall man's left when suddenly he saw the man's black coat flying at him like a net.

*_A distraction?_* the green-clad man thought simply. *_Far too obvious. He wants me to dodge it._*

He sped up, intending to push straight through and attack.

When he made contact however, it was heavy, far heavier than he had expected. He felt himself being weighed down as he ran into it, and felt himself slow down. He pushed it off just in time for his eyes to register Drake's fist as the punch connected.

Lee was thrown twenty feet to land flat on his back, unmoving. The crowd went silent.

"Nothing personal Lee." Drake said sincerely, turning from his unconscious opponent to the audience and glancing up to the Hokage's stand. Tsunade's face was emotionless, but he saw anger in the faces of several of the council members.

"I did not see that coming." a voice admitted from behind him. Drake's eyes went wide and Lee's foot impacted squarely on the side his jaw, sending him to the ground some ten feet away.

The crowd went berserk.

"Never turn your back on your opponent." Lee said simply.

"Nice hit." Drake replied, pushing himself to his feet and rubbing his bruised cheek. "Ow."

Lee charged again, and Drake was forced to jump backwards, It was a little easier for him to dodge Lee's attacks without his coat weighing him down. He still found openings, however, and Drake was slowly being worn down.

Drake stopped another kick, mere inches from his face, but Lee's fists slammed into his ribs when he did so, sending him another step back. Drake saw what the smaller man was doing. He was forcing him toward the wall. If his back was to a wall he'd have nowhere to dodge, and Lee would have yet another advantage. With this in mind, and the wall about five feet behind him, Drake counterattacked.

Lee came with a sweeping kick from the right. Rather than dodge, Drake caught his foot and swung him into the wall with enough force to put a few small cracks in the stone behind him.

Lee tasted blood as he felt several of his ribs crack. Despite his growing respect for his opponent, he was starting to get irritated. He was Konoha's top Taijustu specialist and this man wasn't even a Ninja. And yet it seemed no matter how many times Lee hit him, the man didn't seem to care. That kick would've knocked _Naruto_ out cold, and yet the big man had stood back up and taken more punishment.

Drake fought like a cornered lion, matching every few of Lee's attacks with one of his own. Lee dodged them all, but that wasn't the point. The point was that he was still standing.

Lee stepped in to hook one of Drake's legs and trip him. Drake's knee shot forward to take Lee in the midsection, doubling the green-clad ninja over, before bringing his fist down on one of Lee's shoulder blades like a sledgehammer.

Lee sprang away, the wind knocked out of his lungs from the sheer force of the blow. The crowd cheered again.

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Neji watched the fight from the sidelines, his ANBU mask obscuring his identity. His hand tightened around the headband in his right hand.

He understood now how the tall stranger's fighting style worked.

It seemed that the man called Drake would simply decide on a type of attack from Lee, formulate a counter, and just defend himself until the attack happened. It made sense of the man's long wait to throw a punch. He had been getting a feel for Lee's attacks.

Neji's theory was affirmed as he watched, Lee attempted a series of punches to Drake's ribs. The tall man managed to stop the first few hits, but one eventually got through, the tall man let it happen, but slammed his own fist into Lee's stomach when the green-clad ninja was overextended.

He could also see that Lee was beginning to tire. Not physically. With Lee, that was all but impossible. Mentally, he could see Lee starting to wear down however. Lee had been the best at what he did for a long time, and having someone stand up to him in his area of expertise was clearly grating on the green-clad man's nerves.

Neji was in awe of the stranger's resilience though. Thus far, Lee had landed fifty seven hits, at least twenty of which were solid. Counting the latest one, Drake had landed five, but they had all looked completely devastating. Almost as if he sensed what his former teammate was thinking, Lee's attacks increased in speed.

Lee was pushing Drake back, attacking without pause to try and tire the taller man into making a mistake. He threw a punch at the big man's head.

Drake ducked under the blow, only to have Lee's knee shoot up to catch him under the jaw. The impact rocked him into a standing position and sent him stumbling backwards.

*_I can't take another hit like that._* He thought as the stars cleared from his vision. He mentally tallied of his body's injuries. *_Three cracked ribs... Twenty or thirty bruises..._* He spat out a mouthfull of blood. *_Some internal damage... and I'm feeling dizzy from that headshot... I'm just about at my limit._*

"Do you yield?" asked Lee.

"Pah!" Drake fell back into his fighting stance. "In your dreams laddie!"

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TenTen was having trouble watching the fight as she stood in the stands.

Sparring was one thing, but this was just brutality. The two fighters had been holding a significant amount of power back, but over the course of the fight they'd been hitting harder and harder. Now Lee had been beating the life out of Drake for almost an hour and the council still hadn't stopped the match.

She glared up at the box they were seated, seeing the stoic indifference on their faces, some of them even looked like they were enjoying watching Lee do this to Drake.

She watched as Lee thundered a kick to Drake's stomach, the impact doubling the big man over and sending him flying into the wall of the arena.

She had never seen someone take so much punishment from Lee before, and Drake was still standing. She'd never seen anyone hit as hard, either. Drake was hitting harder than Lee, but Lee was hitting many, _many_, times more often. This wasn't a fight of two people as much as two wills.

Lee had trained his body to be the epitome of strength and speed. Drake's size meant he could be stronger, and in place of Lee's speed, he had raw endurance.

Drake was unsteady on his feet now, and she, like everybody in the audience, knew the fight wouldn't last much longer.

Her knuckles went white as her grip on the bar tightened.

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*_I need to end this._* Drake and Lee thought in unison.

Lee charged, intent on finishing the match. Drake read the attack and realized what he had to do. Instead of retreating and defending himself, he rushed to meet it.

*_I'm sorry TenTen_* he thought.

Lee had broken into a sprint, his speed turning him into a greenish blur, and he threw a punch with all his strength at Drake's face. Drake tilted his head and took the blow full in the forehead, the sheer force of the hit blurred his eyes and sent stars swimming in his vision. The muscles of his neck strained to keep his head from being knocked back. While this happened, Drake cannoned both of his fists into Lee. Lee took Drake's right fist in his fractured ribs, and the left in his gut.

The force of the combined impact stopped both of them in their tracks. Lee's eyes glazed over, and he stood shakily for a moment, before he collapsed to the ground, unconscious. Drake dropped to one knee, reaching out his hands to steady himself. His head was still spinning from the last punch, his vision wouldn't focus, and he couldn't think straight no matter how hard he tried.

*_Great..._* he fought as hard as he could not to pass out. *_Now I have a concussion._*

"The fight is over!" shouted Tsunade, appearing next to Lee.

"Is... he...?" Drake had to form his words carefully, between breaths.

Tsunade checked the green-clad man's pulse, before laying a glowing hand on his chest. She focused for a moment.

"He's alright, he's just unconscious."

Drake noticed the ANBU appear beside him and felt his headband being re-secured. He nodded his thanks, feeling a wave of vertigo when he did so.

He gritted his teeth and tried to stand, but his legs failed him. He waited for the ground to rush up to meet him. Instead, he felt a pair of slender arms catch him and ease him down. He heard TenTen's voice, as if from far away, as she cradled his head to her chest.

"It's okay." she whispered gently. "It's over now."

He relaxed and let the darkness take him.

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	7. for these things

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Drake felt that familiar floating sensation once again. He was in the featureless gray plane, and there was no gravity or resistance whatsoever.

"This place again?" he thought aloud. "Druss?"

"Aye laddie, me again." stated a voice behind him.

"Am I dead?" he asked, spinning to regard the old Axeman.

"Close." stated the old warrior. "I think the blond woman is getting tired of bringing you back."

"Maybe." he chuckled. "What can I do for you this time old horse?"

"One thing first..." Druss said with a smirk. The gray of the plane shifted, and below them Drake saw the arena again. Saw himself spit out a mouthful of blood.

"_Do you yield?_" the image of Lee asked.

"_Pah! In your dreams laddie!_" The image of Drake answered.

"Rubbing off on you am I?" Druss laughed as the image faded.

"Well, you picked it up from Shadak. It seems contagious."

"Too true." admitted Druss. "More to the point, I wanted to give you something."

"What would that be?" asked Drake.

"A gift." stated Druss.

"Well where is it?" asked Drake

"So impatient." Druss muttered. "I can't give it to you here. _Here_ doesn't actually exist, but I can tell you where to find it."

"All right." Drake listened intently. Suddenly a voice broke through the vision.

"_Drake-san_." it sounded like Tsunade.

"Looks like they're trying to wake you up." stated Druss, his form flickering. "Listen laddie. You'll find the gift on the lowest level in the house of the Snake."

"The house of the Snake?" Drake asked confused.

"No time to explain. You'll know it when you see it." Druss extended his hand. Drake shook it with the warrior's grip. "Back to the living world with you laddie."

The gray of the plane deadened to black, and Drake felt the weight of his body return.

"Drake-san." Stated a voice. "Drake-san!" The voice repeated, much louder. Drake's eyes fluttered open. He saw Tsunade's face hovering above his own and heard the steady beep of a heart monitor. He tried to sit up and bow, but he couldn't move.

"You have a fractured skull and a severe concussion, but your power is keeping us from treating you. You're on a heavy dose of muscle relaxant to keep you from moving and further injuring yourself. Blink once if you understand what I've just told you." Drake blinked, the gesture taking almost all of his willpower to accomplish.

"Tsunade-sama, we need to hurry," another female voice spoke from outside his left.

"You said you can focus to shrink your power's radius. We need you to keep it smaller than your headband does so we can treat the damage to your skull." Drake blinked. "When I remove your headband I need you to do this. We'll start the operation as soon as you do so."

"This is too risky." he heard someone whisper.

"We have to repair some of the nerves in your skull as well. That means this is going to hurt, a lot." Tsunade stated simply. "Are you ready?"

Her hands started glowing with a pale green light as another set of hands moved to his headband. Drake focused as best he could and blinked his eyes. His headband was removed. A hand gently pressed down on his brow, and Drake was glad he couldn't scream. It felt like someone was pushing a white-hot piece of metal under the skin of his forehead. He tried to thrash, to escape, but his body wouldn't respond. The pain intensified, and it took all of his willpower to keep from blotting out the jutsu. Things only got worse. After what had seemed to him like an eternity, the agony receded and the green glow faded from the hands affixed to his head.

"Finished." he heard someone say.

Tsunade's face appeared above his own and she smiled. "You did well." she said, looking him in the eyes just before they rolled back into his head and he lost consciousness.

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TenTen saw Drake as he was wheeled, unconscious, into the recovery room, he was pale, his face was lined with stress, and he was drenched in sweat.

"He never ceases to amaze." stated a voice from beside her.

"Tsunade-sama." stated the brown-haired kunoichi as she turned to regard the speaker.

"He had to stay conscious and in control of his power through the entire procedure." she stated. "I honestly didn't think he could do it."

"Why did you put him through that? It must have been horrible."TenTen asked as her eyes returned to the sleeping man.

"I doubt Ibiki could have cooked up something worse." agreed Tsunade. "But it had to be done. He probably wouldn't have survived otherwise."

"Why did he take that hit?" the younger woman asked. "He could have blocked it."

She put her hand on the younger woman's shoulder. "Don't worry." she assured her. "He's not in any danger anymore, we treated all of his injuries. He's just exhausted. He'll be back on his feet in a few days."

"But why?" asked TenTen, tears beginning to form in the corners of her eyes. "He told me he wouldn't get hurt."

"He had to end the fight." Tsunade answered. "It worked." she added bluntly.

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Drake's eyes opened slowly, savoring the last traces of sleep before he settled into the familiar heaviness of his body. He glanced around the room. It was the middle of the night, and he could see stars out his window. He turned his head toward the door. It worked. He experimentally moved his limbs one by one.

He could move again.

*_How long have I been out?_* he wondered idly. His eyes worked their way around the room and he noticed TenTen asleep in the chair next to the door. Her hair was unkempt, and there were dark patches under her eyes. *_She looks totally exhausted._*

He got out of bed, and was pleasantly surprised to feel that all the damage he'd taken from Lee had been reduced to a dull ache. His forehead throbbed painfully. His clothes were folded neatly on the end of the bed. He gathered them up and went into the bathroom to change. When he returned he once again looked at TenTen slumped in the chair.

*_That looks uncomfortable._*

He quietly moved to her and gently picked her up. She stirred in his arms but didn't wake, her face snuggling into his chest. He savored the feeling for a few minutes, just being that close to her. Finally he carried her across the room and lay her down in the bed, gently pulling the blankets over her.

*_I need some fresh air._* he thought as his fingers involuntarily stroked her hair. He inched his way to where his coat was and carefully placed it over his shoulders. He opened the door as quietly as he could, and stepped into the hallway, closing the door behind him. He turned to take one last look through the cracked door, regarding TenTen's sleeping form.

"Why don't you just tell her?" asked a voice from beside him. "It's obvious it's tearing you up inside."

Drake nearly jumped straight through the ceiling and clean onto the next floor. He spun to locate the source of the sound.

"Hokage-sama." he stated and bowed awkwardly, regaining some of his composure.

"Not used to people sneaking up on us are we?" teased the blonde woman playfully.

"No. I'm not." he admitted uncomfortably. "How did you do that?"

"You're avoiding the question." she stated

"I'm _trying_ to." he admitted, "but you aren't making it easy."

She chuckled at his honesty.

"Am I really that easy to read?" He looked through the glass on the door, checking to make sure he hadn't woken TenTen.

"You've been alone for too long." she stated sympathetically. "You aren't used to feeling like this, let alone having to try to hide it."

"Damn." he looked defeated. "Like a book."

A long silence formed, only to be broken when Drake's stomach let out a long growl.

*_Perfect timing!_*

"I'm starving." he said, changing the subject again. "How long was I out?"

"Three days." Stated Tsunade, "TenTen hasn't left your side since the fight."

Drake took another long look at the girl in bed.

"Sooner or later I'm going to get an answer out of you." she stated in a tone that would allow no argument. "but for now lets get you some food."

Drake sighed. "Yes Hokage-sama."

"Call me Tsunade." she ordered. "I'm off work, and 'Hokage' makes me feel old."

"Alright Tsunade-sama."

"Feeling better?" Tsunade asked the young man over the mountain of empty plates he had amassed over the course of the last hour.

"Much." he agreed with a smile.

"I have to say, when I heard about your little contest with Naruto, I was skeptical, but I think I can believe it now." the older woman admitted.

"How did you hear about that?"

"I'm the Hokage, I know everything that happens in my village."

"Hmm..." Drake pondered.

"So why did you disarm yourself when you fought Lee?" the Hokage asked.

"I was trying to beat him, not kill him." Stated Drake simply. "I'm not really very subtle with my weapons."

"Is that the reason you just knocked him out?" asked Tsunade. "I haven't seen you use your full strength yet, but I'm guessing from TenTen's account of your brush with the Sound-nin you probably could have torn him in half if you'd wanted to."

"And Lee could've knocked my head clean off with that last punch if he'd really wanted to." Tsunade saw his face become serious.

"How _is_ your head?" she asked clinically.

"It hurts, but it's completely eclipsing my kunai wounds." he gestured over his shoulder. His face became serious.

"What?" she asked bluntly.

"The Sound-nin." his eyes looked somewhat pained.

"They deserved it." she stated bluntly.

"I agree." It was true, he did. "But what right did I have to end it for them?"

"Every right." Tsunade stated firmly. "You saved TenTen's life, and eliminated three people who could have had more victims had they lived."

"Actually, she saved my life." he corrected her.

"How so?" she asked, "I'm pretty sure you're the one who carried her home. And the team I dispatched found the bodies of the Sound-nin and confirmed her account of the fight."

"I'd appreciate it if you kept this to yourself." he said as he made eye contact with the blonde woman. She nodded slowly. "I'm only at my best when someone needs me. I'm nowhere near as strong, or tough, when nobody is watching or relying on me."

Tsunade listened quietly.

"If I hadn't been carrying TenTen," he continued, "If she hadn't needed me to get her home, I probably would have at least stopped to rest. And as you well know if I'd stopped to rest I would've probably fallen asleep and bled to death."

"So you saved her life, and her reliance on you saved yours." summarized the blonde woman.

"Yep." Drake agreed.

"Well that explains why you two trust each other so much, which brings us back to my original question." The blonde smiled when she saw the younger man sigh theatrically, his somber mood dispelled. "Why don't you just tell her?"

"And here I thought I'd finally evaded the question."

"Not a chance." she grinned back. "Talk."

"I tried..." he gestured at the hospital around him. "The last day I was here."

"What happened?" she asked.

And so Drake recounted the tale.

*_How romantic._* Tsunade thought idly as she listened to his story. She hadn't meddled like this in years. She'd forgotten how fun it was.

"Something was about to happen. I could feel it. I saw it in her eyes." he stated. "Then the door opened. Sakura-san had a message for me." he ended lamely. "I tried to talk to TenTen, but things got kind of awkward and..."

"The moment was gone." Tsunade finished for him. He nodded.

"After that, TenTen started going on missions again. I was training with Naruto." he looked at the table sadly. "We haven't seen much of each other since then."

"You miss her." It wasn't a question.

"You nailed it earlier." he admitted. "I'm not used to feeling like this. I don't know what to do."

"Tell her." repeated Tsunade.

"I'm not even sure what I feel for her." he stated. "I've only known her for a month."

"Only a month? _Only_ a month?" Tsunade laughed, surprising Drake. "In the past month what have you done?"

He shrugged.

"You've come back from the brink of death." she began.

"Okay." he admitted

"Twice." she added.

"Alright." he nodded.

"You defeated three Sound-nin." she supplied.

"Two of 'em didn't really see it coming." he objected. "But true."

"You carried TenTen, for three days, without rest, severely injured, to get her to safety."

"True." he admitted.

"You made your first real friends in years."

"I don't appreciate that insinuation." he stated, narrowing his eyes. One of her eyebrows arched questioningly. "Fine." he admitted. "It's true."

"You trained with one of Konoha's top shinobi."

"True"

"You defeated Lee, who was specifically chosen by the council to defeat _you_."

"How the hell did I _defeat_ him?" Drake asked incredulously. "I barely managed to knock him out and he damn near killed me."

"He was unconscious and you were still standing." Tsunade stated sternly. "Short-lived though it was."

"Fair enough." conceded Drake.

"You kept your focus, with a concussion, throughout an incredibly painful medical procedure."

"Agonizing." he affirmed.

"You've managed all of this in a little over a month." She stated. He nodded a little reluctantly. "Then why is it such a stretch for you to accept that you could've fallen in love in that time?" She watched her words sink in, and one of them hit him like a physical blow, and it showed on his face. She smiled.

"It's not that simple." he began.

"Yes it is." her voice was stern. "Don't try to complicate it."

"But..."

"No buts." she cut him off. "If you like her, tell her."

"Why are you badgering me about this anyway?" he asked her, sounding irritated.

"I said it before." she stated. "It was obvious that it's tearing you up."

"Hmm..." he mumbled.

"Well, that's all I have to say." she said, exaggerating a yawn. "I'm going home to get some sleep. Have a good night Drake-san."

"You too Tsunade-sama." he replied. "When does the council decide whether I can stay or not?"

"Tomorrow evening they will announce their decision." she replied. "I have one more piece of advice for you."

"What is it?" he asked curiously.

"Tomorrow you may have to leave the village. I hope not, but it's not up to me, it's the decision of the council." she stated, stopping at the door.

"I know that. What's your point?" he asked quietly.

"If you leave without telling her, you'll both regret it." she whispered.

"Alright." he stated.

"Good luck kid." she stated, reaching up to ruffle his hair. She began to walk away.

"Tsunade-sama." She stopped and turned to look at him. He paused. "Thank you."

"Anytime." she smiled, and left him to his thoughts.

Drake walked back toward his room slowly. He needed to think. He needed his song, but his headphones were still in the room. He thought back to his most recent meeting with Druss and couldn't shake the feeling that something had been missing.

He got to the door and hoped TenTen was still asleep. He wanted to gather his thoughts before they talked. He took a deep breath, quietly opened the door, and looked inside.

"Drake?"

*_Dammit._*

"Drake!" she jumped off the bed and rushed at him to bury her face in his chest. "I'm so glad you're okay." Before he even realized what he was doing his arms were wrapped around her and he was whispering to her gently.

"Shh... It's okay, Ten-chan." he reassured her. "I'm here. I'm not going anywhere."

"Why did you take that hit? That's the second time I've almost lost you." she said between sobs, her fists softly hitting his chest. "Don't ever do that again!"

"I won't." he stated gently. "Never again." He held her and reassured her until she stopped crying, then he reluctantly loosened his arms and looked down at her before speaking softly. "TenTen, I think we need to talk."

"I agree." She wiped her eyes and nodded.

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	8. are for

I'd like to just take a moment9 to thank all of my reviewers.

Ryu, GrizzlyTeddyBear, the ninja no one sees, (I saw you.) KilrathSluzath, marise_chan, HumanInfiltrator, set, and eva24.

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"TenTen, I think we need to talk..."

"I agree." she nodded, wiping her eyes.

"Do you want to take a walk?" he asked, suddenly ten kinds of nervous as to how to approach the conversation. She nodded.

"I'd like that."

"How about the roof? the stars should still be out." he suggested.

"Okay." she agreed. The walk to the roof was quiet, and only after they had reached their destination and sat down did Drake break the silence.

"What I wanted to tell you was..." he paused, "You see..." he paused again. "Gah! I'm no good at this kind of talk..."

"Just talk," she said quietly. "I'm not going to judge you."

"I've been alone for as long as I remember. I've never had friends, or a family. I've just wandered around." he paused. "...and I've always hated it." The wind picked up and she shivered a little, without even thinking his arm wrapped around her shoulder and brought her closer to keep her warm. He made sure she was comfortable before continuing. "I'd come into a town, and see couples walking down the street, or friends playing, and I'd be so jealous. I'd find myself hating them for it." he continued. "It was a horrible feeling."

"Was?" she questioned, resting her head on his chest. "How'd you get past it?"

"I..." he hesitated. "I met you. Since I've known you the feeling has completely vanished. When I see a couple holding hands or friends laughing, I don't think about how lucky they are anymore. I just think of you."

"It's the same with me." she said simply, listening to his heartbeat. "My team was broken up a few months ago. I'd been with them almost every day since we were twelve years old. I even had a crush on one of them for a while. They were like my family, and suddenly they're gone and I barely ever see them. I tried to just immerse myself in my missions, and my training." she sighed. "I was so lonely."

"You still see them sometimes right?" Drake asked quietly. "Like when you asked Lee to go easy on me?"

"How did you know about that?" she asked.

"I didn't." he smiled. "I do now."

"Meanie." she said, hitting him softly. Drake felt her previous mood return and gave her shoulder a reassuring squeeze. "But I know that feeling, when you see someone who is happy and you hate them for it. It was how I felt when Naruto and Sakura announced their engagement. You think they don't deserve to be that happy. It felt so awful when I caught myself starting to wish bad things on good people."

Drake nodded. "Worst feeling in the world."

"And then you saved me." she stated, snuggling a little closer. "and like you said, when I met you, the feeling vanished. I don't get jealous of other people anymore, I just come see you."

"You saved me too." he told her.

"How on earth did I save you?" she asked, looking up to check if he was joking.

"Twice." he amended. "The first was when I was carrying you home." he stated. "If you hadn't been relying on me I'd have died. I'm nowhere near as strong or brave when nobody needs me." he paused. "Without you needing me to get you home I probably would have laid down somewhere and not woken up. Your presence gave me the resolve to keep going."

"And the second?" she asked, laying her head down to listen to his heartbeat again.

"You saved me from that feeling. When I'm around you I don't care who is happier or has more friends than I do. It's enough that I'm just with you."

She wrapped her arms around his abdomen and snuggled closer to him. "I agree."

"That's what I wanted to talk to you about." he began. "If I hadn't met you, I would still be wandering aimlessly, not knowing what I want, feeling jealous of everyone. You saved me from that. You brought me back here. You gave me a reason to stay."

"Technically _you_ brought _me_ back here." she said mischievously.

"Shush." he said with a smile. "What I wanted to tell you is that you are the reason."

"The reason?" she asked, feigning ignorance.

"The reason I want to stay." he said awkwardly, turning his head away so she couldn't see the blush on his cheeks. "The reason I'm going to go stare down the council later today. I want to stay here with you."

"I want you to stay here with me..." she stated sleepily. *_He's so warm, and so comfy, and makes me feel so safe._*

"TenTen?" Drake whispered.

*_She fell asleep._* he thought, laughing on the inside. Drake adjusted his coat to cover her sleeping form and looked up at the stars, feeling at peace for the first time in a long while.

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They walked slowly down the streets of Konoha, slowly making their way to the Council's chambers. At some point during the walk, her hand had found it's way into his, and neither of them really felt like letting go. They just walked slowly, enjoying the silence of each other's company. After about twenty minutes they arrived at the council building.

"Here we are." he stated unneccessarily, breaking the silence at last.

"Yeah." she agreed as they walked in and sat in the waiting area. After about half an hour of complete silence a voice shook Drake from his thoughts.

"Drake-san, the Council are ready for you." said the attendant. He took a deep breath, and removed his bandana, showing the seal on his headband proudly. He handed her his bandana.

"Wish me luck." he said softly.

"Good luck." she whispered.

Drake walked into the chamber of the Council and bowed, his forehead throbbing behind the seal. As he rose from his bow he took in his surroundings. The room was circular, the council themselves sat at a long curved table that ran about three quarters of the way around the open central area, with the gap in the direction of the door. He immediately noticed Tsunade in the most ornate chair, directly in front of him. Seated directly to her right and left were three elderly men and one woman. *Village elders...* deduced Drake. Seated further out from the Hokage were the leaders of the individual clans. Finally, at the farthest edge of the circle were the highest ranking ninja whom didn't already fit in one of the other categories. He saw Naruto, a surprisingly serious look on his face, sitting in the seat nearest the door.

*_The Hokage's successor and he has the lowest seat in the council? That doesn't seem right. I'll have to ask him about it if I get the chance._* He was broken from his thoughts by a stern voice.

"Drake-san, I am Hiashi Hyuga, the voice of the council in today's proceedings." The speaker was an older man, he looked to be about fifty, with dark hair, and odd white pupil-less eyes.

"Hyuga-sama." Drake bowed again.

"Would you please repeat your request to the council before we begin the hearing?" Hiashi asked, his face stoic and indifferent.

"I request that I be allowed to become a citizen of Konoha." he paused. "If so, I would readily lend my powers to the service and defense of the village in whatever capacity the Hokage and the council see fit."

"You are aware that your unique abilities are somewhat antagonistic to the style of Konoha's current military system?" Hiashi asked. Drake winced mentally, but kept his face calm.

*_Didn't expect that low a blow this early in the meeting._* he thought. "I am."

"Then are you ready to face the fate the council has decided for you?" the Hyuga clan leader asked. He steeled himself for what was about to happen.

"I am."

Twenty minutes later, TenTen heard the doors of the council chamber open and looked up. The council members had begun slowly filing out of the chamber. Apparently the meeting was over. TenTen waited patiently and watched for Drake to exit. She noticed the head of each of the clans, the village elders, Naruto, and a few of Konoha's best Jounin exit the room and then move to exit the building. Finally, she saw the Hokage walk out of the room..

Five minutes later, there was still no sign of him. She stood and walked slowly to the doors. She took a deep breath and pushed them open. He was standing alone in the center of the chamber. His back was to her, his head was down. She noticed his headband was in his hand.

"Drake?" she asked, trying to mask the worry in her voice.

His head lifted, and he turned slowly. She saw his face come into view. He was smiling. Only then did her eyes move slowly upwards to take in a very familiar shape. The shape of a Konoha forehead protector. The look of pure joy that lit TenTen's face she saw his new accessory made his heart soar and put butterflies in his stomach all at the same time. He noticed she was wearing his bandana. He let his smile broaden before he spoke.

"I get to stay."

She rushed to him as she had the night before. This time there were tears of happiness in her eyes. Instead of letting her bury her face in his shirt he picked her up and spun her around in a big hug. What she did next surprised him. Instead of returning the hug as he'd expected, her arms wrapped around his neck and she brought her lips to his.

The kiss was light, but somehow powerful at the same time. Drake felt a spark pass between them and he froze in his tracks, his eyes wide. He regained his composure and tilted his head, returning the kiss. It felt sublime. They remained together until the need for air forced them to part.

"It looks good on you." she said, resting her forehead against his while she caught her breath.

"Likewise." he said, eying his bandana, equally out of breath. "If it has this effect on you I may never take the damn thing off."

She laughed happily and hugged him tighter. After a while she loosened her grip on him and looked once more at his new headband. "They made you a Ninja?" she asked in disbelief. "That's..."

"I know!" he stated with a smile. "Technically I'm just a Genin, but it's still more than I'd hoped for."

"I want details." she stated sternly.

"I'll tell you about it over dinner. My treat." he said as he lowered her down gently.

After they'd made their way to the nearest restaurant and placed their orders he dove into his story.

**FLASHBACK**

"You will be allowed to stay in Konoha." the pale-eyed spokesman stated calmly.

Drake let out the breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding.

"However, there are to be several conditions to your residence here." he continued. "If you disobey them, you will be banished."

Drake nodded. "Alright."

"The first condition," Hiashi began, "You are to produce copies of that seal," he pointed to the headband around Drake's head. "To be distributed amongst the village and it's ANBU operatives should you defy the council. Do you accept this condition?"

*_Saw that coming a mile away._* thought Drake. "I accept the condition."

"The second condition, You will be inducted into the Konoha military that we may put your unique gifts to use in our future military endeavors. Do you accept this condition?"

*_That one too._* he thought calmly. "I accept this condition."

"The third condition, based on your performance in the fight..." Drake caught a few scowls from assorted faces around the room when Hiashi spoke. "You are to immediately receive the rank of Genin and begin formal training to increase your speed to bring you up to par with your peers, should you fail in this training, you will be required to leave. Should you pass, your rank will increase to that of Special Jounin. Do you accept this condition?"

*_No... fucking... way..._* Drake thought in disbelief. "Special Jounin?" he asked slowly.

"The rank given to those who have skill of Jounin level or higher in one area, but not all areas. In your case, chakra suppression." Hiashi stated, his face betraying no emotions whatsoever.

Drake regained a bit of his composure. "I accept this condition."

"The fourth condition." Hiashi began, "Should you pass your training, you will be required to spar with Konoha shinobi on a regular basis to improve their taijutsu skills, as well as your own, to reduce their dependence on chakra, and to find who is most effective with you in a team situation."

*_So until I find a team... I get to be the Konoha punching bag... great..._* "I accept this condition."

"Then on behalf of the council, welcome to Konoha. Your training begins tomorrow." Hiashi gave him a shallow bow, more a nod than anything. "Do you have any questions?"

Drake was suspicious one thing. "When did the council reach it's decision?"

Hiashi paused. "Why do you ask?"

"I would like to know if my recovery delayed the hearing at all." he answered half-honestly.

"The decision was reached the day after your fight with Rock Lee."

"Then I apologize for the delay." Drake stated, bowing to the council again. *_Wait... two days ago?_* He turned to face Tsunade and narrowed his eyes. Tsunade grinned from ear to ear and waved to him innocently.

"Anything further?" Hiashi asked Drake.

"Nothing, Hiashi-sama." Drake replied.

"Then this session of the council of Konoha is hereby concluded." Tsunade's voice echoed across the chamber. The council members stood and began to file out the door slowly. Drake stayed where he was. He noticed Tsunade approach him.

"Are you coming?" she asked.

"I need a couple minutes to let this all sink in." he stated. "'_Tomorrow you may have to leave the village._' huh?"

"It got you two talking didn't it?" she supplied.

"Touché." conceded Drake.

"Welcome to the village." she said with a smile. "This is yours now."

Tsunade tossed him something. He caught the object and got a good look at it, and the leaf symbol etched onto it. He smiled as he took off his headband and put his new one on.

*END FLASHBACK*

"So you start training tomorrow?" TenTen asked as their food arrived.

"Yep." he agreed, breaking apart his chopsticks. "Training to increase my speed with some guy named Kakashi."

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	9. lesser men

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Drake approached the training grounds slowly. He was five minutes early when he arrived at the spot he was supposed to meet his new trainer. No sign of him. No sign of anyone. The silence was deafening. Drake moved to the shade of a nearby tree, set his sword leaning against it and sat down, pulling the leather-bound book from his pocket and re-reading the story of the Siege of Dros Delnoch for the umpteenth time.

Two hours later, a 'poof!' brought his attention away from the story. He looked up to see a man in standard shinobi gear with a mask over the lower half of his face and his forehead protector pulled down to cover his left eye. The man's silver hair was unruly, and sat unevenly because of the placement of the aforementioned headband, and there was a backpack slung over his shoulders.

"Yo." the silver-haired man said simply.

"Yo." Drake replied. "Kakashi-san I take it?"

"Kakashi Hatake." he confirmed.

"So you're going to help me train." Drake stated.

"That's the rumor." Kakashi stated, sounding bored. Drake reached into the pocket of his coat and pulled out a headband with a seal on it.

"This is for you. They explained it?"

"hn." Kakashi nodded and took it from him. There was a long pause.

"I guess we'd better get to it then. I saw your fight with Lee." the silver-haired man began, still sounding bored. "I know you are more than strong enough, and you are extremely resilient. I also know that your reflexes are sharp, but they are not sharp enough to keep up with a trained shinobi, as I'm sure you well know."

"I do." Drake nodded.

"I am curious about your swordsmanship though." Kakashi stated honestly. "From what I hear nobody has seen you swing that thing." he pointed to where Drake's sword was leaning against the tree.

"Yeah," Drake admitted. "Things tend to get messy when I use the sword. I'm not fond of dismembering people."

"How accurate are you with it?" Kakashi asked, suddenly serious.

"Give me a target." Drake stated simply.

Kakashi walked about twenty feet to a tree and drew a kunai. Drake followed him. Kakashi cut a shallow diagonal line across the trunk of a tree, the trunk was about two feet wide.

"Cut as deep as you can, along this line."

"Nobody has any sentimental attachment to this tree do they?" Drake asked.

"Not that I know of."

"Okay," stated Drake as he walked about twenty paces away.

He drew his sword. Had Drake been of average size, the sword would have been about normal. But he was not, and his sword was proportionally larger as well. The blade was a dark metallic color, about four and a half feet long, and about six inches wide, about a foot extra forming the grip and pommel.

Drake took a deep breath and began to walk toward the tree. When he was about halfway there he started to run, and when he reached the tree his sword swung out in a wide arc. The sword continued it's arc and embedded itself into the ground. The tree swayed and fell with a loud crash, a single clean cut through the line Kakashi had drawn on it. Drake saw Kakashi's one visible eye widen a little before his standard expression quickly returned.

"Okay, you don't seem to need any work there."

"So where do I need work?" Drake asked as he sheathed the sword.

"Two areas." the silver haired man stated. He raised his index finger. "One, your reaction speed. You can take a lot of punishment, I'll grant you that. However, you need to learn not to. For that we're going to spar."

"Okay," nodded Drake.

"Two..." began Kakashi, raising another finger. "Movement speed. You can fight, but if you can't keep up with your team on a mission, you will be a burden to the mission. For this you are going to be running laps and doing sprints whenever we aren't sparring."

"Okay." Drake agreed. "So we're sparring for my reflexes and I am running and sprinting for my speed. Anything else?"

"Just one more thing..." Kakashi stated, throwing his backpack in front of Drake. The backpack left a small crater as it impacted with the ground. "You're going to wear these weights the entire time."

Three hours later, a comfortable silence had formed as Drake trained and Kakashi read.

"Alright Drake. Five minutes to catch your breath." Kakashi's voice rang out.

Drake was currently sprinting back and forth between two kunai embedded in the ground about a hundred feet apart. He walked over to an unharmed tree and slumped down next to the trunk, taking a swig from a water bottle. Kakashi walked over to join him. Drake pulled out his book, and Kakashi did likewise with a small green book, noticably different from the book he'd been reading before. They each raised an eyebrow at the other, then returned to reading their books. After about five minutes of silence, Kakashi gestured for Drake to stand.

"Okay, fifty laps around the clearing," Kakashi stated. "as fast as you can."

Drake nodded and took off at a run. It was going to be a very long day.

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*TWO WEEKS LATER*

Drake walked out of the bathroom, a towel draped over his shoulders. His headband was in it's usual place on his forehead, and he walked over to the window of his apartment to study the village as it was lit by the stars. Toki was rubbing against his ankles and purring. Drake crouched to pick up the tiny black cat.

"Looks like we each finally found a place to call home." he told the kitten absentmindedly.

Drake heard a knock on his door. Setting Toki on the couch, he threw on a muscle shirt and went to answer. His eyes brightened when he opened the door and saw TenTen, a large plastic bag hanging from her hands.

"You're back!" He exclaimed, scooping her up in a big hug. She'd gone off on a mission two days after the council's decision and he hadn't seen her since. TenTen smiled, she hadn't expected such a reaction out of the big man. He realized what he was doing and set her down.

"Sorry." he muttered, looking embarrassed. "Don't know what came over me."

"Don't worry about it." she smiled as she walked into the apartment, "I missed you too. I figured you'd still be up, so I brought you some dinner."

"Dinner?" his face lit up again.

TenTen nodded and looked around the apartment. "This place is..."

"Lifeless? Bleak? Depressing?" Drake supplied a list of possible answers.

"I was going to say 'clean'," she admitted. "but those work too."

In the room they were in there was a window, and there was a couch. That was all.

"You've been here a month and a half. Why haven't you decorated?"

Drake looked at her. "Remember that whole me not having a home for nine years thing?" he asked, sounding amused.

"Point taken." she conceded as Drake felt a tiny paw prod the back of his leg from the couch.

"Alright, alright." he laughed, turning to scoop up Toki. TenTen looked at him with a puzzled expression.

"Talking to yourself?" she teased.

"Hardly." he stated. He turned around and held out the tiny black kitten, dwarfed by his massive hands. "TenTen, this is Toki."

TenTen was stricken with Girl-Seeing-Adorable-Fluffy-Animal-Syndrome and froze, dropping the bag of food. The stillness lasted until the kitten looked up at her and gave a tiny squeaking mew.

"Aww! He's adorable!" she gushed, snatching him and holding him close to snuggle with her cheek, eliciting a purr. "Where did you find him?"

"After my second day training with Kakashi, I was on my way home and I saw him in an alley." he stated. "I gave him a piece of my take-out and he followed me home."

"He's so sweet!" she stated as he licked her nose.

"Don't let him fool you." Drake warned her with a laugh, "His claws are very sharp and he's a climber." he chuckled before continuing. "..and apparently I'm a mountain."

TenTen laughed out loud at the mental image of this happening and proceeded to shower more affection on Toki. After a few more minutes of this Drake spoke.

"I hate to interrupt your bonding," he began with a smile, "but you said something about food?"

"Oh yeah..." TenTen remembered, snapping out of her kitten-induced trance. "It's in the bag."

Drake opened the bag to reveal three Bento boxes, two pairs of chopsticks, and a large tub of fried rice. He walked into the kitchen and moved to the table, clearing off the unfinished headbands he'd been working on.

"Do you want some tea?" he asked, his head popping around the corner.

"Yes please." she replied happily, once more focused on the kitten. He glared at Toki before heading back to the kitchen to start the tea.

"Little furry bastard trying to steal TenTen from me." he muttered under his breath as he filled the kettle.

"What was that?" TenTen asked, suddenly right next to him.

"Gah!" he jumped, almost dropping everything he was carrying. TenTen laughed and took the kettle from him, setting it on the stove. He went to the table, set down the bag, and opened the boxes and the rice, setting two places. TenTen took a good look at Drake as he set the table, he looked tired, and there were countless bruises lining his arms and shoulders. His eyes looked up and followed her gaze.

"Sparring with Kakashi." he stated simply. "The man doesn't pull his punches."

"Does it hurt?" she asked.

"A little," he stated. "Tsunade gave me some pills to take to boost my healing, which reminds me." He walked to the cabinet next to her and pulled out a pill bottle, he withdrew two of the pills and swallowed them.

"Why take them this late?" she asked.

"They knock me out. Takes a little while, but then they hit like Lee." he answered. He replaced the bottle in the cabinet, but didn't move. She felt his arm wrap around her shoulders.

"I'm glad you're back." he stated simply. Her arm wrapped around his waist.

"So am I," she replied. "and don't worry, Toki won't steal me."

Steam started to gush from the mouth of the tea kettle.

"Tea's ready." they both stated in unison. Dinner was pleasant. The food was amazing. Drake had been living on cup ramen for the past few days. He inquired about how her mission had gone and she told him all the non-classified details. After that she asked him how his training was progressing and he did likewise. After they were done eating they cleaned up the dishes, Drake replaced the half-finished headbands he had been working on for the council on the table. TenTen moved alongside him and picked up one of the bands.

"What's this one?" TenTen asked, picking up a headband. "The seal is different."

"Just something I've been working on in my spare time." he stated. "I'm trying to reverse the seal."

"Reverse the seal?" she asked.

"To give to another ninja to keep my gift out." he stated simply.

"Any luck?" she asked.

"Haven't tested it yet." he stated.

With the room as it had been when they entered, they moved back into the living room and settled down on the couch, sharing a blanket. TenTen snuggled closer to Drake, his arms around her waist. He was just as warm as she remembered. She could hear his heartbeat again and felt herself getting drowsy.

"Do you have training again tomorrow?" she asked, her voice sleepy.

"Mmmhmm." he confirmed sleepily, his eyes closed.

"I should probably get going then." she stated, but didn't move.

"Please stay." he said, his eyes still closed. As if to emphasize the same point, Toki jumped up onto the blanket and curled into a little ball in TenTen's lap.

"Alright." she stated, tilting her head to look at him. "Just for tonight."

"Thank you." he said, leaning in to plant a kiss on her forehead. "Good night Ten-chan."

"Good night." she replied.

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"You're awfully cheerful today." remarked Kakashi over his book.

"Had a great dinner and got a good nights sleep." stated Drake simply.

"Anything to share before we start for the day?" the silver-haired jounin asked.

"Potentially." Drake began. "can you help me test something really quick?"

"Hmm?" Kakashi looked up from his book. Drake dug into his pocket and drew out the two reverse-sealed headbands he had managed to make.

"Tie these around your hands and try a jutsu." he stated. Kakashi raised an eyebrow and looked at the seals on the pieces of cloth Drake was offering him. Drake guessed his question.

"I'm trying to make a seal to keep my power out." he provided. "Like this one keeps it in." he stated, holding up his normal headband.

He let his power cover the training area. A look of understanding passed Kakashi's visible eye and he tied the seals around his hands. His hands flew through a series of signs.

"Raikiri!' his voice declared, and a ball of crackling lightning appeared in his right hand. He sprinted away and put the hand through a tree. The lightning slowly dissipated. Drake was beside himself.

*_It worked!_*

"Try again." he requested. Kakashi's hands went through the signs again, but nothing happened this time. He removed the cloth from his hands. The seals were scorched. "So the seals burn out after a certain amount of chakra is expelled." Drake thought aloud.

*_But still! It worked!_*

"So you can make these now?" Kakashi asked, uncharacteristically curious sounding.

"Yep." said Drake. "Looks like they're one use only. But it's still a breakthrough."

"Indeed." confirmed Kakashi, "But your experiment can wait til later. For now, fifty laps... Go!"

Drake sighed and took off running.

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	10. Protect the weak

Ten weeks have passed since chapter 9.

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Drake finished his fiftieth lap around the training site and jogged back over to Kakashi.

"Okay, take the weights off." the older man ordered.

"What?" Drake asked, sounding surprised.

"You've been wearing them for three months. I want to see how much your speed has increased." he explained as Drake quietly removed the weights. "Okay... try to keep up." Kakashi stated as he fell into a fighting stance. Drake chuckled as he fell into his own.

Thirty minutes later, the fight was over.

"That's enough." Kakashi stated, out of breath. "Well done, I think you're ready."

"Was that praise? From Kakashi the scarecrow?" asked Drake jokingly. "I didn't think that was possible."

"Scarecrow am I? As opposed to a male duck?" Kakashi pointed out.

"Actually it's 'Drake' as in Young Dragon..." corrected the younger man as they both caught their breath. "but touché.."

A long silence formed, the wind the only audible sound.

"You still beat me." Drake supplied after a couple minutes.

"I won mostly on experience, not speed." stated Kakashi blandly. "Your training is finished. You aren't as fast as I am, but now you're fast enough to keep up."

"Thank you." stated Drake.

"I'll see you around." stated Kakashi simply, making a hand seal. Nothing happened. "That's not funny."

"I disagree." laughed Drake. Kakashi's visible eye narrowed, and Drake sighed. "Okay, have it your way." There was a puff of smoke and Kakashi was gone. It suddenly occurred to Drake how tired he was.

*_Guess a nap wouldn't hurt._*

He walked over to a tree and slumped down to lean back on the trunk. Before he even realized what was happening, he was asleep. Drake suddenly found himself wide awake, floating once again in the gray featureless plane.

"Druss?" he asked expectantly.

"Aye laddie." Druss replied.

"This is the first time we've met and I haven't been dying." Drake stated with a chuckle. "What's the occasion? Did the tree fall on me or something?"

"We need to talk." Druss stated matter-of-factly. "You have a question for me?"

"That I do." Drake nodded, "Where's Snaga?"

"I think you already know the answer to that question laddie." stated the bearded man.

"This 'House of the Snake' then?" Drake reasoned.

"Aye." agreed Druss. "And I have a warning for you laddie. You recall why Snaga was called an evil weapon?" It wasn't really a question.

"There was a demon bound within it." Stated Drake. "You cast it out when you walked the void to rescue your wife."

"He's back." stated Druss simply.

"Then why give me the axe?" Drake asked "I don't want it if it's evil."

"The demon isn't in the axe anymore..." he began, "It's guarding the axe."

"That's why you need me." stated Drake.

Druss nodded and locked eyes with the younger man. "You have to send him back to the void. His evil should not be back in this world."

"Evil must be fought wherever it is found." Drake recited the last verse of the code. Druss nodded.

"One more warning." he began. "You have to fight him alone. If anyone tries to help you, they'll die." his tone was grim.

"What about me? What are my odds?" The bearded man didn't reply. "I see." Drake's face became solemn. "Wish me luck Axman." he said, extending his hand.

"Good luck laddie." Druss replied, returning his grip as everything faded to black.

"Drake?" TenTen's voice reached his ears. He slowly opened his eyes.

"Hey beautiful." he said sleepily.

"Hey yourself." she supplied with a smile. "Tsunade-sama sent me to find you."

He slowly stood up, rubbing his neck. "Note to self:" he muttered. "Sleeping while sitting up is still a bad idea. You said Tsunade-sama wants to see me?"

"Kakashi told her you finished your training." She nodded as a mischievous glint entered her eyes. "Race you to her office!" She took off at a sprint before he could answer.

"But I just woke up..." he muttered before taking off after her to race across the rooftops of Konoha.

They arrived at the Hokage's office in less than two minutes.

"That was amazing." Drake said in a bit of a daze.

"What was?" asked TenTen.

"Running along the rooftops like that." he answered. "I never thought I'd be able to do it."

"I've never really given it much thought." stated TenTen honestly.

"Hmm..." stated Drake as he knocked on the door.

"Enter!" Tsunade's voice rang out. Drake pushed open the door. Tsunade was behind her desk as always.

"Catch!" she said. He caught what she had thrown him, it was a Chunin vest, dyed black.

"Why is it you're always throwing things at me?" he asked bluntly. TenTen giggled. "Like the color by the way."

"I figured it fit." Tsunade stated with a smile. Her tone became serious. "You are hereby promoted to the rank of Special Jounin. You have a week off to rest, and then you will start your council-mandated sparring amongst the other ninja."

"I have a week off?" he asked.

"Yes." Tsunade confirmed.

"Then I have a request..." he began. Curiousity became apparent on her face. "I am looking for a place called the 'House of the Snake'..." he stated slowly, "Does that ring any bells?"

Tsunade and TenTen both visibly tensed. "It might." the older woman stated carefully. "Why?"

"It's a long story." he stated simply.

"I have time." the blonde woman stated, her voice suddenly angry.

*_They're going to think I'm crazy._* Drake sighed. "I was told to go there to retrieve something." he continued, "In a dream."

"Retrieve what?" Tsunade looked apprehensive.

"A weapon." stated Drake simply.

"Who told you to do this?" Tsunade asked.

"His name is Druss..." and so Drake began to slowly explain Druss, The Code, and the conversations he and Drake had shared. After he was finished, Tsunade explained to him the history that Konoha shared with a deceased ninja named Orochimaru.

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**TWO HOURS LATER**

"So you have to go and destroy this 'Demon'?" Tsunade asked, still a little apprehensive.

"I do." he confirmed.

"Why?" TenTen piped in.

"It's evil." he stated simply. "I live by the code. I know where it is now, so I can't just ignore it."

The last words of the code he'd recited played again in Tsunade's head. *_It is not enough to simply say "I will not be evil." Evil must be fought wherever it is found._*

"However," he stated, interrupting her thoughts. "I'm a member of the Konoha military now, so I'm asking your permission Hokage-sama."

"Have you considered the possibility that these are just dreams?" TenTen broke in again.

"I have." he admitted before continuing. "To be honest, if I went there and there was no demon I'd be really relieved. But if it is there I have to kill it."

"Aren't you afraid?" asked TenTen.

"Are you kidding?" he laughed bitterly, "I'm terrified."

"Then why?" she asked, not convinced.

"Being scared doesn't change what the code says." said Drake simply.

"I think you may be reading too far into these dreams." stated TenTen.

"Actually..." Tsunade began, cutting back into the conversation. TenTen and Drake both looked at her. "This doesn't leave this room." she said sternly. They both nodded. "There have been reports of mysterious disappearances in the area surrounding one of Orochimaru's former hideouts." she admitted. "We were going to send a team soon to investigate."

"Send me." Drake demanded.

"The council doesn't trust you yet." she stated sadly. "I do, but they don't. And they won't let me start giving you solo missions for a good long time."

"Then give me a team." he stated. "I don't have to be in charge, I just have to kill the thing."

"You haven't even done your sparring to see who you can work with yet." Tsunade admonished him. "How can I set you up with a team?"

"I just need a guide and a medic." he stated. "They can use the seals I made. I'll handle the rest."

"I'm going with you." TenTen's voice cut in.

"No." Drake stated. "Please don't."

"Why not?" TenTen looked angry.

"Druss told me..." Drake began. "That if anyone tries to help me fight it, they'll die." Drake looked at TenTen and fell silent.

"I'm going with you." she repeated, unfazed.

"You might as well accept it. You can't talk her out of it." Tsunade informed him.

"So we're back to me asking permission." Drake stated. "Sooner or later I _will_ fight this thing. I'd just rather it were sooner, before it kills any more people."

"I need some time to think this over." stated Tsunade. "Come back here in a couple hours."

"Yes Hokage-sama." stated Drake, bowing and exiting the room.

TenTen hurriedly bowed and followed him out. Once they were out the door TenTen grabbed Drake's coat and spun him around.

"Who do you think you are giving the Hokage orders like that?" TenTen demanded loudly as soon as they were out of the building. "You're lucky she didn't kick you out or demote you or something! I can't believe you! Acting like that right after she promoted you!"

It was only after she finished yelling that she noticed Drake's face was slightly pale and his hands were trembling. The realization dawned and her features softened.

"You really are afraid." she stated slowly. He nodded.

"I asked Druss what my odds were against this thing. He refused to tell me, but I saw the look in his eyes. I need my song." he finished lamely.

She pulled him into a long hug. "I'll come with you. I want to see Toki again anyway." she smiled and they started to walk towards his apartment. Her hand found his and it stopped shaking.

"Damn cat getting all the attention." he muttered with a smirk.

About two hours later they had eaten dinner and were lounging on the couch. TenTen was pampering Toki again, and Drake had his arms around her.

"Do you think it's been long enough yet?" he asked.

"I'd give it another few minutes." TenTen sighed as she relaxed into his embrace. Just then a knock sounded at his door.

"Damn it." He reluctantly got up and went to answer his door. He was shocked when he opened it to see Tsunade's smiling face. "Ho... Hokage-sama."

"I'm off duty, it's Tsunade." she stated. She looked around him and saw TenTen laying on the couch.

"I didn't interrupt anything did I?" she asked innocently.

Drake spluttered and started to blush. "No!"

"Good." she smiled again. "May I come in?"

"Of course." he stepped aside and shut the door behind the blonde woman.

"Who was it?" TenTen asked, looking up, bolting upright to a sitting position when she saw the guest. "Hokage-sama." she stood up and straightened her clothes.

"Good evening TenTen." Tsunade nodded. She felt something brush against her ankle and looked down to see the most adorable little black kitten she'd ever laid her eyes upon. Drake saw Tsunade's eyes go wide and slapped his palm to his forehead. Tsunade, despite her age, was no match for Toki's powers. About ten minutes later, Tsunade, on the couch next to TenTen, with Toki on her lap purring like an adorable little chainsaw, regained her composure.

"So what brings you to my humble abode Tsunade-sama?" asked Drake, as he watched the sanity return to her eyes.

"I called it an early night, I figured I'd stop by instead of you coming back to the office." she stated, happily bouncing the kitten on her lap.

"So what's the word?" asked Drake.

"I'm sending you two, along with Kakashi and Sakura, to investigate the disappearances." she stated, her voice suddenly serious.

"When do we leave?" asked TenTen.

"Tomorrow." she stated.

"I'll need to make a few more seals then." stated Drake, walking to gather his materials.

"I'll leave you to it then." said Tsunade feigning a yawn. "Good night kids."

"Good night Tsunade-sama." they both replied. Tsunade gave Toki one final pet and moved to the door.

"Tsunade-sama." Drake called out. "Can you do me a favor?"

"Maybe." she stated without turning.

"Can you feed Toki for me when I'm on the mission? Maybe play with him a little too, he tends to get lonely when I'm gone for more than a day."

"I think I could manage that." she stated with a grin.

"Thank you." She nodded and left, closing the door behind her.

"How do you make those?" asked TenTen, pointing at the incomplete seals.

"It's a secret." he stated mischievously. "Fortunately, you're the one person I wouldn't mind teaching it to."

"Why such secrecy?" she asked.

"If the council gets ahold of someone who can manufacture these," He held up the reverse seals. "Soon everyone in Konoha would have one. If that happened, I'd go from having a slight edge on the average ninja to being completely at their mercy."

She nodded her understanding. "If you're the only one who can make them, you can limit the number of them that are in circulation."

"Exactly." he affirmed.

"So why teach me?" she asked.

"I trust you." he said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. She blushed. "Okay, Grab one of the blank bands and one of the brushes..." and so he began to teach her how to apply his seal.

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Drake looked into the mirror and regarded himself in his ninja gear for the first time.

His coat had changed, he had taken the sleeves off, and applied the chainmail rings that were in them to double-layer the torso protection. He wore his Chunin vest under the coat. His upper arms were bare, with ANBU-style armguards on his forearms. His headband and bandana were gone. Instead, he simply wore his forehead protector, keeping his power in check with his mind.

He sighed. This would be his first ninja mission, and potentially, if Druss' reaction was any indication of the fight ahead, his last too. He was glad TenTen was coming. He wanted to spend as much time with her as possible before the fight.

He drew his sword. At five and a half feet, the broad-bladed sword was as tall as most of the ninja he'd met, yet Drake could comfortably use it one-handed. If all went well this would be the last time he used it, but he'd miss it. He pulled his knives out and laid them on the table, then pulled a whetstone out of one of his pockets and set about honing their edges. Replacing his knives, he focused on the blade of his sword. Content with his work at last, he glanced at the clock.

*_Twenty minutes 'til I need to be at the gate._* he thought.

He gathered the seals TenTen had helped him make the prior night and put them all into his backpack. Checking to make sure he had everything he needed, he gave Toki one last pat and walked out the door.

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They set up camp just south of the compound. The next morning, as they were breaking camp, Drake approached Sakura and Kakashi.

"So how much did Tsunade tell you guys about what we're here for?" he asked calmly.

"It's an axe or something." Kakashi said, his nose buried in his book.

"And the guardian?" Drake inquired.

"A demon." Sakura stated calmly.

"You both seem really calm about all of this." Drake stated.

"Well, when you hang around Naruto for as long as we have, this stuff is pretty normal." Kakashi supplied, sounding bored as ever.

"Really? Anyway, I have a favor to ask of the two of you." Drake began.

"What?" Sakura asked. Kakashi merely arched an eyebrow.

"Did Tsunade tell you about me having to fight this thing alone?" he asked. They both nodded. "I want you to keep TenTen safe," he stated. "And by that I mean keep her out of the fight. No matter what is happening to me."

"Okay." Sakura agreed. Kakashi merely nodded.

"Thank you."

TenTen came back to the clearing, and they all shouldered their packs and prepared to enter the compound. As they did so, there were several buildings, but one in particular stood out. It was absolutely massive, and it looked like a large colosseum. Painted over the outer walls were large murals of snakes intertwining around each other. There were descending stairs leading into the building. Apparently it was mostly underground.

"The House of the Snake." stated Drake to himself.

"This was not here when I came here six years ago." stated Sakura as Kakashi crouched near the stairs leading up to the building.

"Look at these marks." he indicated the ground. Several of the stairs were worn smooth, and there were wide trough-like impressions on the ground that gave the impression of something massive dragging over it repetitively. Drake took a deep breath and turned to face the entrance.

"I'll go in first." Drake stated and began descending the stairs, his hands starting to tremble.

"Drake." he heard TenTen's voice close behind him. He turned to reply just in time for her to wrap her arms tightly around his neck and pull him into a kiss. But where the kisses they had shared up to this point had been light and innocent, this was heavy and fierce. Drake tilted his head and returned the kiss with equal force, his mouth involuntarily opening to allow her access. Their tongues intertwined and fought, and he wrapped his arms around her to hold her close. The three visible eyes of the other shinobi present widened in shock as they watched this unfold. Even Inner Sakura was stunned into silence. The kiss continued for about thirty seconds and then they both broke off for air.

"Don't you... dare... die." stated TenTen between breaths. Drake hugged her close. A quiet cough from Kakashi brought them out of their moment.

"So Drake... are you still planning on slaying some gigantic gribbly demon or do you just want to call it a day?" he asked sarcastically. Drake blushed and reluctantly released TenTen.

"Thank you TenTen." he whispered as he turned to descend the stairs.

The chamber that the stairway opened up into defied explanation. There were no supports to hold the roof up, yet the chamber was at least five times the size of the Konoha arena. They found themselves on a balcony some twenty feet above the floor of the chamber.

*_A perfect vantage point._* Drake noticed. "Okay. Let's do this." He jumped the railing and landed lightly on the ground twenty feet below, rolling his shoulders and cracking his neck. Sakura watched him jump down to the ground. He looked confident.

*_TenTen knocked the shakes right out of him_* supplied Inner Sakura with a giggle.

Drake looked around the arena. There was a massive pile of bones in the center, some noticably human, others indiscernable. He continued to scan the room, but didn't spot anything. There was a mist hanging in the air that obscured the far side of the arena. He continued to sweep his eyes around until eventually they came to rest on TenTen, Sakura, and Kakashi up on the balcony. He was about to speak when he saw a look of horror cross TenTen's face, her eyes focused behind him.

Drake spun on his heel and saw the largest snake he had ever seen emerging from the mist. Easily a hundred fifty feet long, It's head was eight feet wide, and vicious spikes ran down its back. Despite all of this, the worst of all were it's eyes. They weren't the eyes of some mindless beast. Instead, a cruel, calculating intelligence glimmered behind them. A booming voice rang across the chamber.

"WHO ENTERS MY DOMAIN!?"

Drake drew his sword calmly. "I do." he spoke with a confident smile. "Druss the Legend sends his regards."

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	11. from the evil strong,

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"WHO ENTERS MY DOMAIN!?" The serpent's booming voice rang across the chamber.

"I do." Drake drew his sword with a confident smile. "Druss the Legend sends his regards."

A look of pure hatred lit the Demon's eyes. "DRUSS!?" it roared with disdain. "DRUSS IS DEAD!" Drake noticed that the snake's mouth didn't move or even open when it spoke.

"He is." agreed Drake, "And you were banished to the void."

"I AM FREE!" bellowed the demon, shaking the ground under Drake's feet.

"How did you escape?" demanded Drake.

"THE AXE WAS SOMEHOW SUMMONED TO THIS WORLD NOT TOO LONG AGO BY ONE CALLED 'KABUTO'." the demon stated calmly, voice still shaking the ground. "HE FREED ME FROM IT AND BOUND ME IN THIS FORM."

"What did you do to him?" asked Drake calmly.

"HE THOUGHT HE COULD FORCE ME TO SERVE HIM... HE WAS THE FIRST." The demon slithered to circle and stare at the mound of bones in the center of the arena. "OF MANY." it added with cruel satisfaction.

"Where is the axe?" Drake demanded angrily.

"THE AXE WAS DESTROYED IN THE CEREMONY TO FREE ME." the demon stated with satisfaction.

Drake cursed under his breath. "Your evil ends now." he stated suddenly, his tone cold.

"YOUR LIFE ENDS FIRST." laughed the serpent as it took in a deep breath. Kakashi's Sharingan eye picked up the massive flare of chakra a moment before the serpent exhaled. TenTen and Sakura watched in horror as a gigantic torrent of flame swept from it's mouth to envelop Drake. The demon's laughter rippled out over the arena.

A small dark circle appeared amidst the brightness of the roaring fire, as the three observers watched, the circle expanded, the flames unable to penetrate it, at the center stood Drake, his face defiant. The two kunoichi let out a sigh of relief.

"Nice try." his voice rang out. Drake had never attempted to expand his power's radius before, focusing only on suppressing it. Now he set his mind to do the opposite. He forced the radius to expand, sending his power sweeping out to encompass the entire arena. All of the flames died down. The demon looked amused.

"FINALLY! A CHALLENGE!" It bared its fangs and charged.

Drake jumped to the side as the massive head flew by. He took a two handed grip and hacked at the serpent's flank with his sword, the blade bouncing harmlessly off of the massive scales. The tail whipped out at him and he was forced to jump back.

"THAT SWORD CANNOT HARM ME." boomed the voice of the demon.

"Forgive me if I won't take your word for it." Drake replied with a smile.

The snake bared its fangs and swept down to attempt to bite Drake. Drake brought his sword up and stopped the fangs mere inches from his face, the force of the impact driving his feet a few inches into the ground. The massive serpent drew back for another lunge. When it attacked, Drake sidestepped and brought his sword down with all his strength on its back. The blade bit into flesh this time, but the wound wasn't deep. The demon snarled at the sudden pain, enraged at having been wounded, and began to attack Drake relentlessly.

Meanwhile, in the stands, TenTen watched Drake narrowly avoid each of the giant snake's attacks. She had to help him, there was no way he could handle this alone. She began to calculate how to best get into the fight without distracting him and slowly approached the railing. Sensing her intent, Kakashi's gripped her left shoulder, Sakura's repeating the gesture on her right.

"Let me go." TenTen tried to shake them off. "He needs my help."

"This is his fight," Kakashi stated. "He told us to keep you out of it."

"He can't do this alone." she said angrily.

"He has to." Sakura stated, "He doesn't want to see you get hurt."

"Let me go!" she screamed, grabbing the railing.

Drake was giving ground fast. He couldn't seem to hurt this damn thing no matter how hard he hit it. He focused on defending himself, as he was fairly sure he couldn't take more than one, maybe two hits from this beast. The massive snake drew its head back and bared its fangs. Drake brought his sword up to block the coming bite, but the Demon's face didn't come. He heard TenTen scream something and hesitated for a moment, glancing at the balcony. Sakura and Kakashi were holding TenTen back. His distraction cost him. The serpent's tail slammed into him from behind, catapulting him into the wall. He heard TenTen scream his name.

TenTen watched in horror as Drake flew forty feet to impact on the stone wall. The wall cracked, and he slumped to the ground, not moving. She heard a voice scream his name, then realized it had been her own. What happened next was a blur. She acted without thinking. Breaking free of Sakura and Kakashi's grasp, she jumped down onto the arena floor, unfurled her scroll, and sent wave after wave of razor-edged projectiles at the gigantic snake. A few of them stuck, but most of them just bounced harmlessly from its iron-hard scales to clatter onto the ground. TenTen just kept throwing them.

"SO YOU WISH TO DIE DO YOU LITTLE GIRL!?" The demon's voice boomed out. It began to speed towards her, fangs bared hungrily as it closed the distance between them. She froze in terror. When the great serpent was almost upon her Drake suddenly appeared on top of its head and threw a thunderous downward punch, his fist hit so hard that it sent the monster's head down to embed about three feet into the ground. He landed in between the dazed serpent and TenTen and drew his sword again, swaying unsteadily on his feet, his back to her protectively.

"Stay the fuck away from her." He said as he spat out a mouthful of blood. His voice was so menacing it made TenTen involuntarily take a few steps back. The giant serpent extracted its head from the earth and laughed.

"I SEE... SO THIS ONE IS DEAR TO YOU." it stated looking at TenTen. It's voice full of malicious amusement. "IN THAT CASE... I WILL MAKE HER DEATH LAST AN ETERNITY."

Drake pointed the sword at the monster. "Over my dead body."

"MY THOUGHTS EXACTLY!" the demon roared as it reared up, looming over Drake, fangs bared. "BUT FIRST THE GIRL!" It's head shot toward TenTen.

*_No!_* thought Drake. His body moved of its own accord, appearing in front of TenTen and throwing her out of the way. Their eyes met for an instant and he gave her a small smile. Then the massive jaws snapped shut, and he was gone, as was the ground he had been standing on.

"VICTORY!" bellowed the Demon. "NOW THAT HE'S OUT OF THE WAY I CAN ENJOY SLOWLY KILLING YOU... LITTLE GIRL."

Its eyes locked onto TenTen and it began to slowly circle her, a malicious gleam in its eyes. TenTen just stood and watched it circle her, tears starting to roll down her cheeks. Suddenly the snake stopped circling her and convulsed. TenTen saw the point of one of Drake's knives emerge from the top of the its head. The snake's eyes lost focus for a moment, but it hissed and quickly resumed circling her. The snake recoiled again, and TenTen saw the blade of the second knife appear, about a foot from the first. The snake reared up, looming over her as it had done before, and she heard a very human sounding roar of anger come from inside the beast's mouth and the broad blade of Drake's sword burst from between its eyes in a spray of blood. The giant serpent screeched in pain. When its mouth opened to do so, Drake fell out, the hilt of his sword gripped in his hands, the snapped blade still embedded in the demon's head. He landed shakily on his feet.

"I said stay away from her." his voice repeated, having lost none of its menace.

"Drake." she stated, wiping the tears from her eyes. He turned to face her and TenTen saw the sword hilt in his hand begin to glow. White light enveloped the broken weapon, and the silhouette began to shift. The handle lengthened to be about four feet long, and the cross guard of the sword stretched and widened to take the shape of two blades. TenTen watched in wonder as the broken sword slowly took the shape of a massive axe. The glow faded and TenTen gasped at the sight of Snaga. If ever she had seen a weapon designed to fit a specific wielder, this was it. TenTen was beyond certain this axe had been made for Drake, and he held it as though he'd used it all his life.

The symmetrical silver blades were reminiscent of the wings of a butterfly, with each blade tapering to form a vicious point at the top. Silver runes ran the length of the haft, and the blades glittered with a mirror sheen.

"IMPOSSIBLE" roared the demon as it slumped to the ground, the massive serpent's strength failing at the sight of its former vessel. "THE AXE WAS DESTROYED."

Drake appeared next to the massive snake, stepping to where the head met the neck. The axe rose. "Go back to hell." he commanded viciously. The axe swept down and severed the massive snake's spine.

Kakashi watched Drake strike the final blow, the demon's form dissolved and wafted into the air as a giant reddish brown mist, Drake's knives fell to the ground.

"I GO BACK TO THE VOID." the demon's voice rang out. "YOU HAVE WON FOR NOW LITTLE MAN, BUT I WILL COME BACK... AND WHEN I DO I WILL MAKE YOU ALL PAY."

His Sharingan led him to a huge realization. Kakashi's voice rang out to reach Drake's ears. "Drake! he's made of pure Chakra now! Destroy him!"

A grim smile appeared on Drake's face and he let his power flow out. The room was filled with a horrible keening screech as the demon felt its very essence being destroyed. The cloud writhed and shrank, turning a vivid shade of red. Drake limped into the cloud and spoke to the demon one last time.

"I've proven I can fight like a demon." he stated simply, "Now you get to die like a mortal." Drake's power surged out in one final wave. The cloud screamed one last time, and was destroyed.

Drake turned to TenTen and gave her a smile. She rushed to him and threw her arms around him, pulling him into another heated kiss. His free arm wrapped around her. "You did it." she stated, out of breath.

"I did it." he agreed.

"Don't ever scare me like that again." she told him with a smile.

"Seems to be a talent of mine." he smiled back. Kakashi and Sakura appeared on either side of them, Drake relaxed his hold on TenTen and she stood next to him, his arm around her.

"How are you?" asked Sakura, her eyes flitting over his injuries.

"A couple broken ribs, but I'll live." Drake replied, spitting some blood onto the ground.

"I'd better have a look." Sakura stated. Drake took off his coat and vest. A green glow surrounded Sakura's hand and she pressed it to his ribs. Drake winced when he felt his bones being reset. After about five minutes she removed her hand. "Okay, good as new."

"Thank you Sakura-san." he stated.

"This is a first," observed TenTen teasingly, "You fought something serious and you aren't unconscious and dying."

"Hey!" he began to object. TenTen started to laugh, she was soon joined by Sakura, and then he started to laugh too, the giddy mood of having survived what he did overtaking him. Kakashi even chuckled a little bit. After they calmed down, Sakura broke the silence.

"So that's Snaga?" she asked, eying the axe resting over Drake's shoulder. Drake nodded and held out the weapon.

"This is Snaga."

TenTen looked up and pointed at the runes on the haft. "What does it say?"

"Snaga the Sender. The Blades of No Return." Drake supplied, "I can't believe it's real."

"Mission accomplished then?" asked Kakashi, pulling out his little green book.

Drake nodded and turned to face TenTen. "Lets go home."

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	12. and never allow

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The trip home went quickly. The team were all anxious to just get home and get some rest. Snaga never left Drake's hand. They arrived in Konoha shortly after dark. The sight that greeted Drake and TenTen when they arrived at his apartment was amusing to say the least. Tsunade was sitting on the floor pulling around a string, which Toki was viciously chasing and attacking. Her aide Shizune was sitting beside her watching the kitten play. They both looked up in surprise when the door opened. Drake and TenTen each blinked, stared for about five seconds, and then burst out laughing.

"Having fun are we?" Drake asked, after he'd caught his breath. Tsunade was about to reply when she caught sight of the massive axe in Drake's hand.

"It's real." she stated in disbelief.

"It is." Drake affirmed, holding the axe out to give her a better view.

"So you were successful." the Hokage stated.

"We were," he stated, leaning the axe against the wall. "I can elaborate later, for now I need a shower." Tsunade's eyebrow arched as his voice carried from the other room. "Got eaten by a hundred foot demon-snake-thing. I'll tell you about it later."

"Was it really that big?" Tsunade looked to TenTen.

"Bigger." stated TenTen, plopping down on the couch. "It swallowed him whole and he avoided its teeth."

"It swallowed _him_ whole?" Shizune piped in. TenTen nodded.

"Tell us what happened." Tsunade stated. "In detail."

Drake shut off the water and dried off. He put on a pair of plain black pants and looked into the mirror. As always, his eyes went to his forehead as he put on the seal. His eyes went lower and he regarded the crisscrossing scars on his torso, and also the fresh bruises all over his upper body. He experimentally flexed his shoulders and neck, everything was sore. Walking out into the main room, he was surprised to notice Sakura and Kakashi, Sakura holding a loudly purring Toki, Kakashi against the wall with his face in his book.

"Yo." Kakashi nodded through the book.

"Yo." he replied.

"We heard Tsunade-sama was here, so we came for debriefing." stated Sakura, reading the question on his mind. Her eyes moved to his bare chest. "Showing off are we?"

"Well this is _my_ apartment." Drake stated, walking over to sit next to TenTen on the couch. "Figured I needed to do something to fight Toki's hold on you all."

"We told her what happened." TenTen told him, handing him a cup of tea. He thanked her.

"So this is Snaga." Tsunade began, walking over to pick the axe up. Her eyes widened when she did so. "It's so heavy." she stated, channeling chakra into her muscles to help. She walked over to hand the axe to Drake.

"That it is." he stated. The axe seemed to lose all weight when he took it.

"So why is this weapon so special?" Kakashi asked.

"Sentimental value." Drake stated.

"Is that all?" Kakashi's visible eyebrow rose.

"Nope." Drake grinned. "Give me something to cut. Something that'll dull the blades."

"Why would you do that?" TenTen asked, looking at the axe. "You just found it."

"Just humor me." Drake stated. TenTen unfurled her scroll, looked through it for a specific seal, and conjured a large iron bound club with a puff of smoke. "Hold it steady." Drake ordered. Kakashi took the club and held it horizontally. Drake brought Snaga up, paused, and sliced downward, bisecting the thickest part of the club. He handed the axe to Kakashi. "Check the edge." he suggested. Kakashi did so, the edge was still pristine, the blades looked like they had never been used.

"The blades don't dull?" Tsunade asked.

"Never." Drake replied.

"I can see how that would be useful." Kakashi admitted.

Drake nodded and sat back down, leaning back onto the couch. His eyes drifted shut, and before he realized it he had dozed off. Drake's eyes opened to take in the ever familiar gray featureless plane. This time Druss was already in front of him, and the old man clapped a hand onto his shoulder.

"Well done!"

"Thanks old horse." Drake replied with a smirk.

"I expected you to send the demon back to the void at best... " the bearded man admitted "Destroying him entirely, I underestimated you laddie."

"That you did." Drake replied, his face turning serious.

"What?" Druss asked.

"I want answers." stated the younger man.

"About the axe." Druss reasoned. As if on cue, Snaga suddenly appeared in Drake's hand. "How did it get here?"

"The demon told you the truth." Druss answered simply. "That boy Kabuto summoned it from my world."

"Your world?" asked Drake. Druss nodded.

"Kabuto, like you, discovered the legends of my world." he began. "In particular, my legend. You discovered my code, and used it as a means to get your life back on track."

"I did." Drake agreed, still sounding somewhat angry.

"Kabuto focused only on how he could gain power." Druss continued, "He used some sort of summoning technique to bring Snaga to this world. But he couldn't wield it, so he went after the demon within it. He tried to subjugate the demon."

"The demon said the axe was destroyed in the ritual to extract it." stated Drake. "You told me it was in that building." he accused. "Then it just appeared in my hand... How do you explain that?"

"It was the final test laddie." stated Druss.

"Final test?" Drake's angry tone gave way to one of curiosity. "I thought I was a 'worthy successor'."

"That you are laddie, worthy of the code." Druss affirmed. "But to wield Snaga I needed to test you once more."

"I don't recall any test." stated Drake, "Other than fighting the scaly bastard."

"That wasn't it." denied Druss.

"What was it?" asked Drake.

"When you found out the axe wasn't there, what did you do?" asked Druss.

"I fought the snake." Drake shrugged. "Didn't I just say that?"

"The final test was how you reacted when you found out that you stood to gain absolutely nothing from the battle." Druss paused. "How exactly did you react?"

"I don't really remember, the fight kind of took precedence in my mind." he admitted.

"Let me show you." Druss stated. The plane shifted and Drake saw an image of himself staring down the massive snake again.

_"Where is the axe?" The image of Drake demanded angrily._

"THE AXE WAS DESTROYED IN THE CEREMONY TO FREE ME." the demon stated with satisfaction.

"Your evil ends now." his image stated, his tone cold. The image faded and Drake and Druss were back in the gray plane.

"No doubt, no contemplation, you didn't even hesitate." Stated Druss. "I made my decision then. You passed with flying colors."

"Then why didn't I get Snaga then?" asked the younger man.

"Impatient as always laddie." chuckled Druss. "I had intended to give it to you, in a less flashy manner, after you defeated him, if you did. But when you broke your sword I figured you'd be needing it."

"Thanks for that." the younger man stated. "Why did the Demon tell me that it was destroyed?"

"When I realized what Kabuto was trying to do, I tried to take Snaga back." Druss began. "Once the ritual was happening I couldn't though. As soon as the demon was extracted I took the axe back. To them it would have seemed like Snaga just ceased to be, much as it seemed to just spontaneously appear to you."

"I see." Drake stated.

"Time's up." stated Druss.

"Wha...?" Drake began before he was gently shaken awake. A wave of weariness and pain hit him when he settled back into his body. He looked up into TenTen's brown eyes.

"You dozed off." she stated softly.

"Druss wanted to chat." he mumbled, wiping his eyes. "What'd I miss?"

"Shizune, Kakashi and Sakura left." she said softly.

"You start your sparring matches Tuesday." Tsunade cut in.

"So I have tomorrow off." he stated, absentmindedly petting Toki. "Who's my first match against?"

"Neji Hyuga."

Drake noticed TenTen tense up a little. "What is it?"

"He's the other member of my old team." TenTen stated.

"Ah." Drake replied, remembering. "Is the council doing this on purpose just to screw with TenTen?" he asked Tsunade bluntly, his subtlety still in the process of waking up.

"Actually Hiashi demanded that Neji fight you first." Tsunade informed him. "He may have been calm at the meeting, but he was one of the loudest voices against you becoming a ninja."

"What does he have against me?" Drake pondered aloud.

"The Hyuga clan use a fighting style called 'Gentle fist.'" Tsunade began, "They strike softly, but infuse their blows with chakra to disrupt the enemy's chakra circulatory system."

*_I see where this is going._* Drake nodded.

"The clan has used the style since its inception, and Hiashi himself is a bit of an elitist about it." Tsunade finished.

"And that makes me a 'menace' to their entire way of the ninja." Drake reasoned. "So they want Neji to knock me down a few pegs."

"Neji will probably be fine with you, as TenTen trusts you, and she is one of his best friends." the blonde woman continued, "But Hiashi does not like you. He sees you, as you put it, as a menace to the prosperity of his clan."

"It happens wherever I go." he stated simply. "I'll just live with it."

"How do you do that?" TenTen asked him.

"Do what?" he asked, still tired.

"Just accept the situation, no matter how bad it is, without getting angry." she elaborated.

"I get angry all the time, I just don't let it out." he stated sadly, a faraway look in his eyes. "When someone with my strength lets it out, people just get hurt. Right Tsunade-sama?"

"It's true." Tsunade nodded solemnly. A silence formed between the three Ninja. It held for a few minutes until the blonde Hokage broke it.

"Well, it's getting late, I should probably head out."

"Good night Tsunade-sama." Drake and TenTen said in unison. She quietly walked out of the apartment. Drake looked to TenTen.

"You can stay if you want Ten-chan. I'm fading fast though." he said, laying down on the couch again. She wasn't fooled, he was awake now, and she'd seen his mood change. He felt her snuggle up beside him and pull a blanket over them.

"I think I'll stay." She said. "Let me know if you want to talk about it."

He wrapped his arms around her. "Thanks." he said, his voice soft.

TenTen woke slowly. The first rays of the sun were coming in the window. She felt warm, and she felt safe. She looked up at Drake's face. He was still sleeping soundly. This had become a habit lately. The two of them falling asleep together on his couch. He told her it helped him sleep. She slowly got up and went to her backpack to get a change of clothes. She still hadn't been home since the mission. She studied his face when she came back into the room. He was still sleeping soundly. She didn't blame him, this was the first sleep he'd had since his fight with the demon.

*_The fight..._*

She sighed as she remembered. Drake had been amazing, She had never imagined he was so strong, not even after his killing the Sound-nin, or his fight with Lee. But something else was troubling her.

_"SO YOU WISH TO DIE DO YOU LITTLE GIRL!?" The thing had said as it was bearing down on her. She'd just frozen, completely terrified._

Then Drake had saved her again.

"Stay the fuck away from her." He said.

*_That voice..._* she shivered.

There had been so much menace in Drake's voice it gave her chills just remembering. He sounded like a completely different person, and his eyes had been completely cold. Combined with how strong the punch had been, it was terrifying.

*_That must be what he was talking about when he said he couldn't let it out._* she reasoned. She looked at him again, he looked so peacful when he was sleeping. Yet he had scared her so much just yesterday. *_And then he protected me again._* she thought.

The snake had swallowed him instead of her. Just beforehand, his eyes had regained their normal friendliness, and he'd smiled at her, as if to say 'Thanks for everything.' And for the third time, she thought she had watched him die. He had won, of course, and gotten what he'd come for. Her eyes drifted to the axe propped up next to the door. It was an amazing weapon, no doubt about that. Her many years as a weapon expert told her it would be one-of-a-kind , and it never lost its edge, which was unheard of.

*_But still_,* she thought, *_would it have been worth dying for?_*

She didn't want to admit it, but watching him fight like this was starting to take its toll on her. They hadn't put into words what they felt for each other yet. They had tried, they'd even come close a few times, but it always just ended up with an awkward silence. She couldn't deny what she felt for him, and she knew it was mutual. It was obvious to both of them. He was letting her set the pace, for which she was very grateful. All of that aside, she was still having a hard time watching him get hurt so often. Her thoughts came to an abrupt halt when he slowly stirred. He looked up at her.

"Morning." he said with a small smile.

"Morning." she replied.

"You look sad." he stated bluntly as he sat up. "Wanna talk about it?"

"I'm fine." she stated, a little more forcefully than she had intended.

"Okay," he took the hint. "What do you want to do today?"

She shrugged. "I don't know."

They ended up just walking around the village all day, TenTen showing him all of the noteworthy places of Konoha, and Drake learning as much as he could. Her hand never found its way into his, and there was an aura of tension between the two of them. She ended up heading home to her own apartment for the night. Neither of them slept. The next morning, they met on the training grounds, and an awkward silence ensued until Hiashi and Neji arrived.

Drake bowed. "Hiashi-sama."

"Neji will be your opponent." Hiashi replied with disdain. "We are here to prove the superiority of the Hyuga clan."

*_Wow... he **really** doesn't like me_.* thought Drake as Hiashi's younger nephew approached him.

"Neji Hyuga, head of the Hyuga Clan branch house." Neji stated, extending his hand.

"Drake." his opponent replied simply, shaking the offered hand. "Honored to meet you Neji-sama. TenTen's told me a lot about you."

"Nothing too bad I hope." Neji smirked.

"She told me you were a genius." Drake supplied.

"I have been called that." Neji admitted, "I think your power may prove a bit difficult though."

"Let's find out." Drake suggested, taking his stance. The match wasn't much of a match when it came down to it. The 'Gentle Fist' style simply did not work without chakra, much to Hiashi's displeasure. TenTen noticed that Drake held back his strength for the entire fight. Neji noticed as well.

"Why are you holding back?" he asked eventually.

"I have no issue with you." the big man stated simply. "This fight is to see how well you can work in the area effected by my power. You've done nothing for me to justify hurting you."

Neji was surprised by the simplicity of the big man's reasoning. "I appreciate that." he admitted with a smirk.

"That is enough." Hiashi's stern voice ended their conversation. "I've seen enough of this... nonsense."

"Nonsense?" Drake asked honestly. "Why is this nonsense?"

"This is nonsense because you are involved." Hiashi stated, his tone going from indifferent to angry. "You have no right to be here, nor in the village."

"Why not?" Drake challenged. He didn't want to fight, but he'd be damned if he just rolled over and took the abuse. He kept his voice calm. "I'm a ninja of Konoha."

"You have no right to be a ninja. You have no family. No clan. No honor. You're just some peasant." Hiashi was ranting now.

"It's true I'm not from some noble, highborn family, but I do have my honor. And I am a ninja now." Drake replied, his tone even. TenTen could tell he was fighting to keep calm. "Weren't you the one who delivered the council's decision?" he goaded.

"Don't you dare speak to me!" Hiashi 's voice rose a little. "You aren't even human. You're just some freak of nature. An abomination. If I had my way you would be put down like the monster you are."

"Don't talk to him like that." TenTen yelled at the old man.

"I must say I'm surprised with you TenTen-san," Hiashi replied with a sneer. "Even an unskilled lowborn like you could do better than this trash."

Nobody even saw Drake move, suddenly he was in front of Hiashi and the older man was suspended about a foot off the ground. Their faces were inches apart. "You can say whatever you want about me." Drake stated quietly, his voice sending chills down TenTen and Neji's spines. "But if you ever talk to her like that again, I'll break your jaw."

Hiashi's hands came up to attempt to strike Drake, to sever the chakra flow in the arm that was holding him, but nothing happened.

"Doesn't work on me." Drake said icily, his eyes narrowing. It was at that moment Neji saw, for the first time ever, (with some satisfaction,) a look of sheer terror cross Hiashi's features, if only for a moment. Drake took a deep breath to get his anger under control as he dropped the old man back back to the ground.

"You are a menace." Hiashi spoke angrily. "I will not forget this... There will be a reckoning between us." He straightened his kimono with a huff and left.

"Sorry about that Neji-sama." Drake began once Hiashi was gone. "Shall we continue?"

"I think that's it for me today." Neji stated simply. "Although I must admit, it was immensely gratifying to see Hiashi-sama humbled like that." his smirk faded and he stepped in close to Drake. "Hiashi isn't a forgiving person, be careful."

"Thanks, I'll watch my back." Drake whispered back.

"The branch house won't give you any trouble, I'll see to that." Neji stated. "Hiashi was out of line."

"Thank you Neji-sama." Drake replied.

It was after Neji had left that Drake and TenTen had their first fight.

"What were you thinking!?" TenTen suddenly yelled at him. "You just threatened the leader of the most powerful clan in Konoha!"

"He had it coming." Drake replied simply.

"This isn't a joke!" she scolded him.

"I wasn't joking." he said irritably. "He was out of line talking about you like that. Even Neji thought so."

"I can defend myself you know. I don't need you to baby me." TenTen fumed.

"I didn't mean it like that." he began.

"I don't care. You just made an enemy of one of the most powerful people in the village." she was seeing red.

"So?" Drake asked sarcastically.

"This isn't a game!" she admonished him angrily. "He's going to want revenge for this."

"I doubt that'll happen."

"How can you be so arrogant?" she asked him in disbelief. "The man just told you he'd kill you if he got his way."

"He won't get his way." Drake stated angrily.

"How can you do this to me? Do you have any idea what it's like to watch this happen?" she asked.

"I didn't ask you to come." he stated simply.

"You're right, you didn't." she admitted angrily.

"Then why did you?" he asked, equally angry.

"I don't know anymore. I think I should just take Hiashi's advice and go find myself someone better to spend my time with." TenTen regretted the words as soon as she'd said them. She saw all anger disappear from his face. The sadness that filled Drake's eyes made her feel like someone was twisting a kunai in her stomach. She opened her mouth to apologise, but nothing came out. His shoulders slumped, his eyes fell to the ground.

"I'm sorry." he stated, sounding defeated as he turned and started walking back toward the village. "I'll stop bothering you then. Let me know if you need me for anything."

TenTen watched him go and felt her heart sink. She hadn't meant it.

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	13. thoughts of gain

Chapter Disclaimer: This chapter contains a small excerpt from "The First Chronicles of Druss the Legend" by David Gemmell. I do not own the rights to this book, although I do highly recommend it.

Also, I apologize if Drake's view on the church offends anyone.

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Drake sighed as he trekked his way to the training grounds. He hadn't seen TenTen since their fight two weeks prior, and his mood hadn't lifted. She was off somewhere on a mission, and he missed her. He shook his head to try to dispel his dark mood. He was supposed to spar with some girl named "Ino" today. He let his mind drift back to the fights he'd had this week.

Hinata had surprised him. He didn't see how she and Hiashi could possibly be related. She was kind, and pleasant, and pretty, and everything else her father wasn't. She seemed to have a bit of a confidence problem. Hardly noticable, *_Well, if you were raised by that man..._* Drake thought inwardly. The first thing she'd done when they had met was to apologise for her father. Their fight had gone almost exactly as his fight with Neji had.

Lee had been much the same as their last fight. This time Drake had almost been able to keep up. Lee had eventually taken his weights off and they'd called the fight a few minutes later. They had joked about how overrated jutsu were when it was obvious 'real' ninja could do without them. At the end of the day, (yes... they fought all day.) Drake was in a slightly better mood, and they each had a lot of respect for each other.

Shikamaru had been an odd one. His jutsu hadn't worked with Drake's power at all, but he'd kept the big man at bay for hours. No matter how cornered he was, he always seemed to have some sort of trick up his sleeve. Eventually he'd given up, calling the fight 'troublesome', much to Drake's surprise.

Kiba and Akamaru had thoroughly convinced Drake that he was a cat person. But it had been a fun fight. Fighting a skilled taijutsu user and his lion-sized dog was entertaining no matter how bad a mood he was in.

So thus far he'd found two people who weren't severely hindered by his power, two who were, and one who was, but could still think circles around him. He was broken from his thoughts when he saw Naruto and Sakura waving to him from the sparring area.

"Hey guys." he said with a wave and a fake smile.

"Hello Drake-san." Sakura said cheerfully. "This is your opponent, Ino Yamanaka." Drake turned to look at a stunningly attractive blonde woman. He would have probably appreciated her more if he weren't so torn up about TenTen at the moment.

She flashed a stunning smile. "Nice to meet you Drake-san."

"Ino-san." he said simply with a bow. Ino decided to push his buttons.

"So I hear you have some sort of beef with Hiashi Hyuga." she said in a sweet voice, dropping into a fighting stance.

"I hate gossip." Drake stated simply.

"What happened?" she asked.

"If you are so big into gossip, I'd rather not tell you." he stated.

"Oh well, I have my ways of finding out." Ino said with an innocent smile. Ino formed a hand seal, looking between her hands to lock eyes with the tall man in front of her.

"Shintenshin no Jutsu!" With a smirk, she jumped into Drake's mind.

She realized immediately that something was wrong. He wasn't fighting her hold on his mind. He was fighting to control something, but not his entire mind. Normally people tried to push her out, and he definitely had a strong enough will to do so, but he was just focusing on maintaining control of one area.

*_My power._* she heard the thought reverberate through his mind.

Something went wrong, her power had never done this before. She watched as his recent memories flashed through her mind.

Staying the night in Konoha, Meeting Naruto and Sakura, Killing the three sound-nin who had attacked TenTen, Carrying TenTen home, talking to a massive bearded man about a code or something. The name "Druss" flashed through her mind unbidden, Waking up in Konoha hospital, Talking to TenTen under the stars, Meeting the Hokage, Training with Naruto Fighting Lee, Talking to Druss again, Enduring surgery, Talking to Tsunade, Talking to TenTen under the stars again, Walking hand-in-hand around Konoha, Meeting the Council...

A kiss.

Training with Kakashi, TenTen leaving on a mission, TenTen coming back, Talking to Druss again, Teaching TenTen to make the seal, Leaving on the first mission...

Another Kiss.

Battling a gigantic serpent, Suddenly holding a massive axe, Coming home, Falling asleep with TenTen, Sparring with Neji, Threatening Hiashi...

She saw the whole scenario play out, saw Hiashi ranting and raving about how much he disliked this man, and saw the man hold his anger in check until Hiashi pushed the wrong button.

"You can say whatever you want about me." He'd stated icily. "But if you ever talk to her like that again, I'll break your jaw."

**

Ino had started to refine her evaluation of the man who's mind she was currently inside. The memory flickered to another one. The first fight with TenTen...

The fight seemed to linger for much longer than any of the other memories, and she felt how sad the man who's mind she was in was. His memories of TenTen were much more vivid than the others. She felt something like a floodgate breaking and then everything went black.

Ino looked around, it was dark, and she didn't recognize the scenery, she was in a forest. There was a campfire burning about ten feet away, with three children sitting around it. She slowly walked to the fire.

"Hello?" she spoke.

"They can't hear you." a voice beside her startled her. She looked up to see the man, Drake.

"Where are we?" she asked him.

Drake walked over and squatted down in front of one of the kids to study his face. None of them noticed him. She suddenly saw the resemblance between him and the boy.

"It's you!" she stated. The boy _was_ Drake, but about twelve years old and normal-sized. "We're in a memory?"

"Yep." he stated. "One of the few happy ones, from when I lived across the sea." he sighed. "One I thought I'd forgotten." Ino could feel his emotions, he was happy to see them again, but he was also extremely sad.

"How?" she asked.

"I have no idea." He shrugged. "I guess is my power disagreed with yours." he said. "I'm probably going to have a huge headache after this."

"So who are they?" she asked, gesturing to the other two. The three children weren't talking, they were just sitting and enjoying a comfortable silence.

Drake walked to the other boy, he was tall and thin, with fair hair and friendly dark eyes. He looked quick. He had a pair of throwing knives on his belt. "This is Tree." he said with a sad smile. Ino chuckled a little at the boy's name. He walked over to the other kid, a girl, she was small, even for her age. Her hair was dark, and her eyes were a dazzling green. She had a long knife hanging from her belt. "This is Shanks." he said, his tone still sad.

"Tree and Shanks?" Ino asked, chuckling.

"We thought up new names for each other when we were kicked out of the village." he stated. "We became Tree, Shanks, and Drake, the three orphans. I had an incident because of my power, and I was exiled. Tree and Shanks decided to come with me."

"Tree is lanky and tall." Ino began, "Shanks has a knife." she continued, "Why'd they call you Drake?"

"I had a thing for Dragons when I was young." he stated simply. "More an obsession really." he chuckled.

"So you three just lived in the woods?" she asked, looking around.

"We wandered from town to town." he stated. "Ninja were very rare back home, and normal people didn't know anything about chakra." He paused. "My gift just made people feel uneasy when they were around me, so we couldn't ever stay long." He looked at the other two people his younger self was sitting with. "Tree was kind to me despite that, and she..." he pointed at Shanks with a chuckle, "was way too tough for me to scare."

"So they were your friends?" she asked.

He nodded. "My only friends."

"What happened to them?" she asked. He suddenly looked very sad. As if on cue, the scene shifted. Drake, this time a few years older, his body starting to resemble his current form, was sprinting through the back alleys of a city. Ino could hear the yelling of a group of people in pursuit.

"Who are you running from?" she asked the image.

"An angry mob." he said, appearing next to her. "The city church told them I was evil because I didn't have a 'soul'."

"Chakra?" she asked. He nodded. "What's a church?" she asked, curious.

"In this town? A church is a place where a few people tell all of the rest of the people what to think." he replied, his voice dripping with bitterness.

"That's stupid." she said bluntly.

"I agree." he stated. "They however..." he pointed to the mob coming into view. "Do not."

Young Drake was caught in a dead end. The mob had cut off his only escape route, there were about fifteen of them. Ino could feel remorse starting to form in the mind of the man next to her.

"You are going to die Demon." stated one in the back, wearing elaborate white robes. Ino guessed it to be a member of this 'church' Drake had spoken of.

"I haven't done anything wrong!" The younger Drake shouted in an exasperated tone.

"That doesn't change what you are." stated the white robed man. "Sieze him!" The mob surged forward. The scene blurred to be replaced by young Drake catching his breath and the mob scattered about on the ground around him. Two of the men weren't moving. Ino felt a tidal wave of guilt from Drake.

"You murderer!" the priest shrieked, "You will hang for this!"

Young Drake ran past the priest out of the alley, only to be clubbed from behind when he turned the corner. The scene shifted again. Young Drake looked out over the assembled crowd with sadness in his visible eye. He was covered in bruises, his lips were split and bleeding freely, and one of his eyes was swollen shut. His hands were tied, and a rope was being fastened around his neck.

"What's this?" Ino asked.

"A hanging." Drake stated from beside her. "The preferred method of execution here."

Ino watched in horrified fascination as the noose was tightened around Drake's neck. The man who had fastened the rope pulled a lever, and the floor fell out from below the young man's feet. She turned away when she saw the rope go taut. The sound of approaching hoofbeats made her look up. A flash of silver cut across her vision, and suddenly the rope was cut free, Drake fell to the ground, coughing and hacking. Ino followed the path of the projectile to see Tree and Shanks on horseback, galloping into the square, The boy's arm was still extended from throwing the knife, The girl was holding the reins of a third horse, which had Drake's sword and pack strapped to the saddle. Drake leapt into the empty saddle, and the three of them sped off into the setting sun. The scene faded again.

They were around a campfire again, the three children looked to be about fifteen now. Ino finally got a good look at the three of them. Tree looked about the same, he was taller, and he now had about ten throwing knives in the baldric looped around his chest, a long thin-bladed sword was strapped to his belt. Shanks was still small, but she moved gracefully, without making any sound, She was stealthier than most ninja. Ino recognized the two long-bladed knives that Drake kept in his boots hanging at her belt. Drake was more muscular now, and was only a little bit shorter than Tree. He wore a long black coat, and hanging at his back was a large two-handed sword.

"Why did you save me?" He demanded angrily. "Now we're all wanted by the church."

"We figured it was what you would do if the two of us were at the gallows." Shanks said bluntly.

"That doesn't make it right." Drake said, his anger draining at the truth of her words. "How the hell did you two afford horses anyway?"

"Who said anything about buying 'em?" retorted Shanks with a mischievous glint in her eyes.

"Fantastic." said Drake angrily. "We're thieves now too."

"So what do we do now?" Tree asked, twirling one of his throwing knives absentmindedly.

"We have to keep moving." Drake winced, attempting to stand.

"We're not going anywhere tonight." Shanks stated tersely. "They beat the everloving shit out of you up there. You look like hell. Rest." Drake was trying to formulate a witty comeback but they were right. He was tired, and he was hurt.

"Who gets the first watch?" he asked.

"I'll do it." Tree said, throwing dirt on the fire to put it out. "You two get some rest."

Drake, needing no encouragement, promptly slumped to the ground and passed out. The scene shifted again. The three of them were walking through a forest. This time it was during the day. Shanks was in the lead, Drake was in the middle, fully healed now, and Tree was at the back.

"NO!" Drake yelled from beside her, startling the blonde kunoichi. "I can't watch this again!" he groaned, tears starting to form in his eyes. "I don't want to remember this!"

Ino looked confused, her eyes swept back to the scene unfolding in front of her. Shanks' small hand rose into the air, palm open. Drake and Tree froze. They stood in complete silence for a couple seconds. Ino heard a twig snap.

"Ambush!" young Drake hissed, drawing his sword. Shanks drew her knives, Tree drew his sword. Men began to slowly emerge from the treeline to surround them. Ino recognized the men that had attacked Drake in the city. Young Drake did a quick count. About twenty. Four had crossbows, the rest had clubs, knives, and other assorted weapons. The three teenagers turned to face outward, their backs to one another.

"I'll make an opening," Drake stated. "Break out with me, and then run to the treeline." Tree and Shanks nodded. Drake hefted his sword and charged at the nearest man in the tightening circle, swinging wildly. The man fell, Drake's sword cleaving through his neck. The men before him scattered, and the three of them sprinted through the gap into the trees.

"You killed someone..." Tree stated, his eyes wide as he ran. "You actually killed someone..." Drake didn't answer, his hands were trembling, and he was pale.

"It's them or us." Stated Shanks calmly as she effortlessly kept pace with them. "Ethics later, self-preservation now."

A few minutes later they crossed a stream about three feet deep. Drake stopped on the other shore at the entrance to a narrow uphill trail. There was thick brush on either side, forming a perfect bottleneck.

"You two keep going, I'll hold them here." he stated, turning around and drawing his sword again.

"No chance." Shanks said calmly, her knives in her hands again.

"I'm not leaving you two here." Tree said, reluctantly drawing two of his throwing knives. About a minute later, their enemies reached the stream.

"Here they are!" a voice rang out. Drake walked a few steps forward to gain some swinging room. He felt, rather than saw, Shanks move to hide in his shadow. When the enemy were about thirty feet off, Tree's arms shot forward, and two of them staggered, knives embedded in their thigh and calf.

"You can't hold back like that when they get here." Drake whispered. Tree didn't respond. Another knife flew to take a man high in the shoulder, again non-lethal, but it kept him away. He drew his thin sword. He locked eyes with Drake, who gave him a grim smile. There were seventeen men left. Three of them sloshed through the stream and charged the two tall young men. Tree took one, expertly parrying every attack that came at him, but not attacking back.

Drake swung his sword at the closest man, the man managed to stop the blow, and Drake loosened his grip to throw a thunderous headbutt to the man's brow. The man fell onto his back unconscious. The third man appeared to Drake's right, club raised for a swing, only to drop to his knees, hamstrung, with a surprised look on his face. Shanks appeared behind him, blood on her knives. His club rose again, but one of her knives lanced through his ribs, and he fell.

The rest of the men were coming across the river, Tree had the advantage against the man he fought, but he still refused to take any of the openings the man presented. Another man joined him, and suddenly Tree was backpedaling, parrying furiously.

Drake stepped in to meet two other men, parrying one's downward swing and stabbing his sword through the other's sword arm. Shanks dodged and weaved, hamstringing another man before hopping back to stand at Drake's side.

Tree parried a swing from the man in front of him and launched a deadly counterthrust. His sword stopping less than an inch from the man's throat. The man blinked, regained his composure, and stabbed his own blade into Tree's stomach, the second man's knife sliding between his ribs. All time seemed to stop. Then the tall boy coughed blood and crumpled to the ground.

"NO!" Shanks and Drake screamed in unison. All sense of restraint in their fighting left in that instant. Drake snarled and threw himself at the enemy, viciously hacking his sword left and right. Five men fell before him in as many seconds, taken off-guard by his sudden ferocity. He swung his sword left-handed at a big man using an iron-shod club. The man parried, and Drake punched him in the throat with his free fist, crushing his windpipe. He hefted his sword and attacked again, all fatigue lost in his newfound rage. His sword hacked brutally, slicing another man's arm clean off before beheading a second.

Shanks was a blur of motion, always seeming to appear wherever the enemy's weapons were not, her knives licking out to slice tendons and veins as she passed. She finally came to a stop beside Drake, and seven men crumpled to the ground where she had just been. The only two men remaining were the ones standing over Tree's body, and Ino saw tears in both of the teens' eyes as they stood staring down the men who had slain their friend.

"No..." she heard an anguished whisper from the man beside her.

She saw tears freely falling down his face as well, his face contorted in agony. Shanks sped by the two men and the one with the sword dropped to his knees, one hamstring severed and blood gushing from his jugular.

Drake charged the man with the knife, He threw his sword aside, batted the knife out of the man's hands, and grabbed the man's neck between his hands, ending his life with a savage twist. The two teens then stopped and stared at the crumpled body of their best friend.

His face was strangely peaceful. Shanks began to cry uncontrollably, falling to her knees. Drake tried to keep his composure, but couldn't stop the tears from falling. He heard one of the men groan and saw his younger self pick up his sword with a snarl, stomping off to finish the man, and any others who weren't dead yet. Ino felt tears spill to her own cheeks at the amount of raw emotion she was feeling from being in Drake's mind when he had to watch this again. The younger image of Drake set about finishing off the remaining men, and counted the bodies. He suddenly panicked. He looked at Shanks, and saw a man with a crossbow rise out of the bushes behind her.

"SHANKS!" he screamed.

He heard the dull thump as the crossbow fired. She turned to him, tears still streaming down her cheeks. Her eyes went wide when the bolt hit and she staggered forward. Drake threw his sword a full twenty feet to impale the crossbowman through the stomach. He rushed to catch the small girl as she fell.

"Shanks!" he said softly.

"Drake?" her voice was confused. "It's getting dark."

"Don't leave me alone." he begged the dying girl, hugging her close. "Please."

"I can't... I can't keep my eyes open." she said sluggishly. "So tired..."

Drake saw his tears falling onto her face. "Don't die Shanks." he said between sobs.

"You take the first watch..." she said with a smile, bringing her hand up to stroke his cheek. Her hand lingered for a few seconds, and then her eyes drifted shut and her hand fell from his face. Ino looked to Drake again, his eyes showed pure anguish.

"I had managed to forget." he said simply.

"I'm sorry." she stated simply.

Memories began to flash across her vision again. Burying his friends, Wandering for weeks until he found civilization again, Joining a mercenary band, Going into battle.

Ino saw a battlefield strewn with dead soldiers, and then saw Drake sitting on a rock on the outskirts sharpening his sword. His eyes were completely cold. Completely emotionless. She saw another battle from his viewpoint, saw every man's face become either that of the man who had stabbed Tree or of the crossbowman who had killed Shanks, and felt the sheer unrelenting rage that took him over when it did. She saw Drake in a sacked city, sifting through the burnt homes for anything valuable. She saw him find a book, lying in the middle of a road, open to a specific page. He picked it up and read the passage it was opened to.

**

"_The true warrior lives by a code. He has to. For each man there are different perspectives, but at the core they are the same: Never violate a woman, nor harm a child. Do not lie, cheat, or steal. These things are for lesser men. Protect the weak against the evil strong. And never allow thoughts of gain to lead you into the pursuit of evil._" (-David Gemmell. The First Chronicles of Druss the Legend)

She saw him read the spine. _The First Chronicles of Druss the Legend_ He put the book in his pocket and began to walk back to his army's encampment. Once he was there he pulled out the book and started to read. The next day he left the army.

Ino felt the ground lurch under her feet and suddenly they were back at the training ground, her hands still forming the seal for the mind-transfer jutsu. It was still early morning, no time had passed at all.

"I don't feel like sparring anymore." Drake said quietly, his shoulders slumped. "I think we've established that our gifts don't mix."

"What did you do then?" Ino asked sadly, looking up to regard Drake.

"Cleaned up my act, started following the code, wandered from village to village protecting the weak. Sooner or later the village would get a wanted poster for me and I'd have to leave though." he sighed, wiping his eyes. "Last year I got fed up with it and got on a ship to come to this side of the sea."

"So that's why you came here." she said. "To start over."

"I won't say you can't talk to anyone about what you saw. You know who I trust. But I'd rather there wasn't any gossip about this." he said sullenly.

"There won't be." she said simply.

"Thanks." he said simply and turned to walk away.

"What just happened?" asked Naruto, looking confused.

Ino just watched Drake leave, and Sakura saw a single tear fall down her cheek. A few days later, when Ino caught sight of Drake on his way to the training grounds, his tactical vest had been replaced by a familiar baldric of throwing knives.

Drake walked out of his apartment. He couldn't sleep. Every night since he'd recovered the memory he'd relived the night of Tree and Shanks' death. It was killing him. He knew Ino hadn't meant to do it, but he did not want to remember his past before he got to Konoha. He needed to go for a walk. He grabbed his headphones and stepped out the door, the sun was setting. He made it about halfway to Ichiraku before he realized he was being followed. They were staying in the shadows of the buildings, but years of being hunted had honed Drake's senses to the point that it was obvious. He decided to see who they were. At the next alley, he turned swiftly and ran to cut off his pursuers before they turned the corner. There were about fifteen of them. He stopped when he saw their eyes. Pale eyes, pupil-less eyes, Hyuga eyes.

"So Hiashi sent you did he?" Drake's fists came up to fight off whomever came first.

Five more landed behind him, boxing him in. Suddenly he remembered the consequences of the last time this had happened. Tree's smiling face appeared in his minds eye. Then Shanks' face. Then TenTen's face. His arms fell to his sides, his shoulders slumped, and he barely registered the first blows that began to rain against him.

Six hours later, TenTen was speeding across the rooftops of Konoha toward Drake's apartment. Her mission had been a success, she'd just gotten back, and she'd finally worked up the courage to apologize to him. She lost her footing on the next roof, the chakra dissipating from the soles of her feet.

*_What the...? Drake?_*

She landed lightly in the road and looked around. It was almost one in the morning, what was he doing out and about? She glanced down the alleyway to her left, and paused when her eyes came to rest upon what looked like a heap of black cloth hunched in a corner. She slowly approached, a feeling of foreboding growing in her gut. As she got closer she recognized the shape of a very familiar person laying on his side.

"Drake!" she exclaimed, covering the distance almost instantly. "Drake! Drake!" she repeated his name and shook him to wake him up.

"Ten...Ten?" his voice croaked hoarsely. She eased him into a sitting position. He had two black eyes, His lip was split, his nose was bloody, and it looked like almost all of his visible skin was bruised.

"What happened? You look awful."

"I fell down some stairs." he said deliriously, laughing at his own joke. The laughing changed to coughing and his eyes became serious. "About twenty stairs, all with white eyes."

"Hiashi did this?" TenTen gasped.

"Hell no, his subordinates did." Drake stated, his voice steadying. "If it had been Hiashi he'd be laying next to me."

She smiled.

"What?" he asked.

She started to help him up. "Nothing. Let's get you to the hospital." she said.

He shook his head. "Nothing's broken, and they wouldn't believe me anyway. Can you just help me get home? I need a shower."

"Sure." she said with a smile.

Twenty minutes later, Drake stepped out of the bathroom and looked down at his arms. He didn't recall ever having had this many bruises at once. He walked into the main room and was surprised that TenTen hadn't left. She gasped when she saw the extent of the damage the Hyuga gang had done to him.

"Are you alright?" she asked. "That looks incredibly painful."

"I've had worse." he stated simply, going to the cabinet to find the painkillers.

"Drake..." she began.

"I'm sorry TenTen." he stated suddenly, beating her to the apology.

"You're sorry?" she asked "Why should you be sorry?"

"You were right when you warned me about Hiashi." He sat on the couch, wincing, and looked at the bruises covering his upper body. "...as you can see." The painkillers took effect almost instantly, and his eyelids drooped as he shook his head to stay awake. "I'm falling asleep." he said, sounding amused. He laid back on the couch and pulled a blanket over himself. "This couch is so much more comfortable than that alley."

He was surprised to say the least when he felt her lift the blanket and snuggle in next to him. "I'm sorry too." she said, resting her head on his chest. "I should never have said those things."

"Apology accepted." he said with a smile, wrapping his arms around her. "Thanks for rescuing me Ten-chan." and with that, he fell into his first peaceful, dreamless sleep in what had seemed like an eternity.

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	14. to lead you

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Drake came back to the waking world slowly, savoring the weightless feeling of dreamless sleep. His relaxation didn't last long, the pain from the beating he'd taken the prior night flooded back into his senses as the feeling returned to his limbs. He groaned and opened his eyes. Something seemed to be missing as he sat up, wincing. TenTen was nowhere to be seen.

"TenTen?" he asked aloud. Nothing.

*_I should have known it was too good to be true._* he thought darkly. *_People don't forgive that easily._*

He looked out the window, the sun was already up, It was somewhere about noon. The pain in his joints made him wince as he made his way to the bathroom. He glanced into the mirror. He looked like he'd gone nine rounds with a declawed bear, a very large bear. Toki jumped up onto the sink with a meow.

"Y'know Toki..." he began, petting the tiny cat. "Given how often I get hit in the face, it should be horrifically misshapen by now, but it hasn't changed at all." The kitten looked up at him, uncomprehending. It was true, apart from a split lip and a pair of matching black eyes his face was still just as it had been all his life. "Guess I should count my blessings." He moved a hand to his forehead. "I have a fever... With so much blood loose in these bruises it makes sense I guess."

The kitten just stared at him, head tilted slightly.

"You're probably hungry, huh?" The kitten meowed back at him. "Okay let's get you some breakfast." He walked to the kitchen with Toki hot on his heels. A couple minutes later, With Toki happily devouring a bowl of tuna, Drake slowly returned to the bathroom and took a cold shower to cool down. By the time he was finished he was in serious pain. He finally glanced at the mirror. *_Good Gods I had a lot of adrenaline in my system when I fell asleep._* he mused, turning to walk out of the bathroom. *_Can't really go out today without people asking questions about this... guess I'll stay in._* He painfully made his way to the kitchen and took another dose of Tsunade's painkillers. He felt the pills take effect almost immediately, his eyelids getting heavy and his limbs getting numb. He walked to the bedroom and slumped onto the bed, hoping for another dreamless sleep.

His hopes went unanswered.

TenTen sighed as she made her way across the rooftops of Konoha. She hadn't wanted to leave, but someone had to tell the Tsunade what had happened. Stuff like this couldn't just slide, and if she knew Drake, he'd just keep quiet and continue his day-to-day life. She reached the Hokage's office and strolled inside, passing the two ANBU guards with a smile. She knocked on the door.

"Enter." The voice from within commanded.

"TenTen?" Tsunade asked, sounding surprised. "How can I help you?"

TenTen took a deep breath and told Tsunade what had happened.

Drake found himself once again in the forest where his friends had died, the scene playing out in a perfect reproduction. Time slowed down and he saw Tree pierced by the blades again. He felt none of the anger that he had when it had actually happened, only sadness. Time returned to normal and he hacked left and right, well rehearsed from having relived this scene so many times. The last two enemies finally fell.

*_Not the last._* he thought sadly.

He watched as the crossbowman, with agonizing slowness, rose behind Shanks... saw every detail of the man's face, saw his finger tighten on the trigger. He heard himself yell her name. Saw the bolt slowly coming. He tried to shut his eyes, but he couldn't. He remained transfixed, seeing everything in perfect detail. He saw her eyes widen as the force of the bolt pushed her forward. He hurled his sword to take the crossbowman in the midsection, not giving him a second thought as he caught Shanks. He saw his tears falling again, felt her hand brush his cheek. Then she went limp. He held her for a long time, eventually lowering her to the ground. He stood to walk away but a voice stopped him.

"Why didn't you protect us?" The voice was Tree's, and Drake watched with horror as the dead boy slowly pushed himself to his feet, his eyes still glazed over, blood pouring from his wounds as he took a lurching step toward Drake. Drake raised his hands to ward the dead boy away and stopped, regarding his hands. They were big, he was the proper age again. He turned to face Tree again, he suddenly felt a sharp pain in the backs of his legs and fell to his knees. He turned around to see Shanks, knives drawn, crossbow bolt still protruding from her back, eyes also glazed over.

"You let us die." she said angrily.

"No, I..." Drake began.

"Why didn't you save us?" they cut him off in unison. "You were the strongest. You should have protected us."

"I tried." he said simply.

"We died." they began, still speaking in unison. "Because we saved you."

"I'm sorry." he stated, tears welling in his eyes.

"Your life..." Tree began.

"...wasn't worth both of ours." Shanks finished.

"I'm sorry." The tears were falling freely now. "I should have been stronger."

"You were too weak." stated Tree, lurching towards Drake. He brought his arms up to fend off the boy, Shanks flew past him and he registered a slight stinging in each shoulder, his arms dropped uselessly to his sides.

"You killed us." she said, voice full of malice.

"No." he pleaded. "I tried to save you."

"You killed us." they repeated in unison, slowly approaching him.

"No." he sobbed.

"You killed us." their arms reached out to him.

"No!" he screamed as he felt their cold hands close around his throat. Drake sat bolt upright, waking in a cold sweat. *_Just a dream._* he thought, letting out a shaky breath as all the pain returned to his bruised body. Only when his mind calmed slightly did he register someone pounding on his door.

"...who the hell?" he thought aloud. The pounding intensified. "It's open! Damn..."

Ino opened the door to Drake's apartment slowly and looked around the room. It was bland, no decoration at all. He was nowhere to be seen. She felt something soft bump into her shins. She looked down into the face of an adorable black kitten.

"What are you doing in a place like this?" she asked it with a smile, scooping it up.

"And so Toki inducts another member into his cult." She heard Drake's voice chuckle from behind her.

"His name is Toki?" Ino asked, never taking her eyes off of the little ball of fluff.

"It is." Drake replied.

She continued to pamper the little kitten, earning a contented purr. After about two minutes she set Toki down and turned to address Drake, gasping when she finally saw him. "What happened!?" she asked in shock, his entire upper body was covered in big purple bruises. He looked awful.

"I seem to have a knack for running into angry mobs." he said, bitterness thick in his voice.

"This happened here?"

"A few blocks away from here, actually." he corrected.

"Are you all right?" she asked, concern in her voice.

"You seem awful concerned for having known me less than a week." he noted with some suspicion. "Why are you being so nice?"

"It's easy to trust someone after having literally been inside their mind." She said dismissively.

"Interesting." he muttered, more to himself than her.

"So who was it?" she asked.

"It doesn't matter." he said dismissively. "I'm okay."

"I'll be the judge of that." she stated, her hand glowing a dull green.

"You're a medic?" he asked.

She nodded and walked up to him, placing her glowing hand against his chest as she closed her eyes to focus. "Nothing's broken." she stated after a couple minutes. "You got pretty messed up though. A couple of your organs are bruised." Her eyes opened, and looked where her hand was, her eyes wandered of their own accord over his muscled chest, his scars appearing as countless white lines over the angry purple bruises that covered his skin.

"Enjoying the view?" he asked monotonously, breaking her out of her reverie.

"You wanna put a shirt on?" she asked, suddenly uncomfortable.

"I'm fine. You're the one who's blushing." he stated emotionlessly. She glared at him. "Have it your way." he sighed, walking into the bedroom. He returned a moment later in a long-sleeved black shirt. "So what brings you to my humble abode?"

"Tsunade-sama sent me to find you." she answered simply. "You didn't show up for your sparring today."

He gestured to his face. "You can see why."

"You should have told somebody." she stated. "Not just skipped it like it was a day of the academy."

"My bad." he stated, scratching the back of his head. "I'll go see Tsunade-sama in a bit, but first can you do me a quick favor?" Her eyebrow rose. "Can you get rid of the bruises on my face?" he asked simply. "I can't really walk around like this. Everyone'll want to know what happened."

"Sure." she said before pausing. "What did happen?" she asked again.

"It's not quite ready for the rumor mill yet Ino." he stated, "Sorry."

"I didn't tell anybody about your memories!" She pouted. "You should trust me."

"I appreciate that. But I can tell you _want_ to tell people about them, and this is even more controversial." he said cryptically.

"Am I that easy to read?" she asked, sounding defeated.

"Nope, shot in the dark." he said with a smirk. She punched his arm. "One more bruise…" he chuckled, holding his arm.

"Sorry." she apologized, "Let me see what I can do." The green glow returned to her hand as she rested her palm against his forehead. She began slowly erasing the bruises from his face, her hands resting over each of his eyes and finally healing the split lip. "Okay." she stated, satisfied with her handiwork. "Let's go see Tsunade-sama."

"Thanks." he stated. "I'll just be a minute." he disappeared into the bedroom, emerging in his normal gear about two minutes later.

"Let's go." she stated. He nodded and they took off across the rooftops.

"He didn't fight back?" the blonde Hokage asked in disbelief.

"Are any of the Hyuga in the hospital?" TenTen retorted.

"Point taken." Tsunade conceded. "But it doesn't seem like him."

"I know." the younger woman agreed. A knock sounded at the door.

"Enter!" Tsunade's voice rang out. The door swung open to reveal Drake and Ino, They both calmly strode into the office. Drake's eyes met TenTen's and he saw the confusion etched there when she regarded his unblemished face. Tsunade and TenTen both noticed the throwing knives replacing the vest he normally wore.

"Hello TenTen." he said warmly before turning to address Tsunade. "You wanted to see me Hokage-sama?"

"Why weren't you at the training grounds this morning?" she asked sternly.

"I wasn't feeling well this morning, so I went back to bed." he replied without hesitation.

"I wouldn't feel well either if I was beaten by a mob and spent half my night in an alley." Tsunade stated honestly. Drake tensed before letting his gaze fall to the ground.

"So you told her." he stated.

"I figured it was about time I protected you from something." TenTen stated simply. Drake smiled.

"Guess so." he admitted.

"I thought you said his face was bruised too." Tsunade told TenTen.

"Ino healed my face so I could come here without drawing unnecessary attention to myself." he stated simply, rolling up his sleeves to show the angry bruises on his forearms. "This is what the rest of me looks like."

"What happened?" asked the blonde Hokage.

Drake told the story, leaving out the reason he couldn't sleep that night. "...and then TenTen found me and helped me get home." he finished.

Tsunade looked to be deep in thought.

"I'd rather there wasn't a big political fiasco about this." Drake said honestly.

"That's my decision. Not yours." Tsunade snapped irritably.

"Sorry." he apologized quickly.

"So why didn't you fight back?" Tsunade asked. "It would have been completely justified self-defense."

Tsunade saw a pained expression enter his eyes, and Ino's shortly thereafter.

"This has... happened to me before." he paused. "A long time ago... I fought back then. It didn't end well."

"Care to elaborate?" Tsunade asked.

"Not unless you order me to. No." Drake stated, his voice solemn.

"Alright." Tsunade decided not to press him. "Go home and get some rest. Take the rest of the week off to heal up."

"Thank you Hokage-sama." he bowed and left the room. Tsunade's eyes fell on Ino, she still looked sad.

"You know more about this than you're letting on." she said simply. "Spill it."

"I can't really tell you." she said. "...but I can show you."

"Proceed." ordered Tsunade.

"Do you want me to go?" TenTen asked Ino.

"He trusts you." Ino said plainly. "You'd be the first person he'd want to see this." TenTen blushed.

"You may want to sit down Ten-chan." Ino said quietly, sitting cross-legged on the floor. "This'll take a while." Her hands formed the seals for a genjutsu, then formed a few more afterwards. "Memory re-enactment jutsu!" TenTen and Tsunade found themselves on the Training grounds, and saw Ino and Drake squaring off to fight. "This is what happened when we fought four days ago..." Ino's sad voice reached them both.

Four hours later, Drake was reclining on his couch when a knock sounded at his door. He got up painfully, pulling the headphones from his ears. He opened the door to see TenTen, her face sad.

"What's wrong?" he asked. She tried to form words but she couldn't. Before either of them knew what was happening she was sobbing lightly into his chest. He put his arms around her and spoke to her in soothing tones, trying to calm her down.

"I'm sorry." she whispered into his chest.

"For what?" he asked. To say that Drake was confused would be the understatement of the century.

"For all the crap I've put you through... for you risking your life for mine... for blowing up at you when you stood up to Hiashi... for you getting beat up last night... for everything that's happened to you... I'm sorry." she sobbed.

"Why are you saying this?" he asked, "I'm not mad at you, I never was." She looked up at him. "Ever." he said calmly, looking her in the eyes. She just stared into his eyes for what seemed like an hour. Eventually she did calm down, and as she untangled herself from his embrace and walked into the apartment, Drake was still confused. He walked over and sat on the couch. He watched her pace around the apartment. Her face wasn't as sad, but she still looked like something was bothering her.

"TenTen, what's wrong?" he asked sternly. She stopped in front of his weapon rack and reached out to touch the two knives.

"These are Shanks' knives aren't they?" she asked quietly, her fingers brushing the ornate hilts. The last piece of the puzzle fell into place, realization dawned in his mind. His eyes locked with hers. He saw the sad sympathy in her gaze.

"They are." he stated. Neither of them spoke for a long while. "Ino told you then?" he said eventually, breaking the silence.

"She showed me..." TenTen said sadly. "Everything."

"I see." he stated simply.

"Is this why you didn't fight back?" she asked quietly, sitting behind him and gave his shoulder a reassuring squeeze. "Good gods you're tense! Don't you ever relax?" He smiled as her normal personality reasserted itself.

"Lately?" he shrugged. "No."

"Then relax." she said gently, her hands slowly beginning to rub his shoulders. His eyes slowly drifted shut and he leaned back into her ministrations.

"Talk." she ordered simply.

"They were my only friends before I came here. I'd forgotten the details of their deaths." he began, relaxing his shoulders. "When Ino's power clashed with mine it shook the memories loose again. I didn't want to remember."

"I can see why." she admitted. "So this is why you didn't fight back yesterday?"

He nodded sadly. "Tree and Shanks died because they saved me from being executed. I was going to be executed because I fought back against that mob." he stated. "I don't want that on my shoulders again."

"I can feel that." she said, working out another knot. "Any more and they'd have to be made of steel."

"I didn't want anything like that to happen here." He sighed. "They should have just ridden away. My life wasn't worth both of theirs."

"I disagree." TenTen said plainly.

"You think one life is worth two?" he asked, turning to regard her out of the corner of his eye. She paused, and then pulled him back so his head was resting against her chest, her arms wrapped around him protectively.

"If they hadn't saved you, I wouldn't be here either." she said softly. "We never would have even met. I would've died alone, that morning with the sound-nin."

"TenTen." Drake tilted his head to look at her.

"_I'm_ glad they saved you." she said, leaning in to plant a kiss on his forehead, just below the seal.

Half an hour later, Drake was asleep, his head lying on TenTen's lap. Her hands were playing with his hair. He looked peaceful. She felt him stir. His eye opened slowly and he looked up into hers before they drifted shut again.

"There's a sight I wouldn't mind waking up to more often." he thought aloud.

"Sleep well?" she asked, her fingers gently pulling some of his hair.

"Like a rock. How long was I out?" he asked quietly.

"Maybe twenty minutes. I was just contemplating ways to make your hair look better." she said with a smile.

"What's wrong with my hair?" he asked defensively.

"You never style it or anything." she said simply. "It's just... there."

"And your point is?" he asked, not following.

"You should do something with it." she said playfully. "It's boring."

"I'm used to just wearing the bandana." he admitted. "I'm not much for style."

"I don't know. You looked pretty damn good when you walked into the Hokage's office today." she stated with a smirk.

"Thanks." he said with a proud smile.

"Apart from the hair." He deflated.

"Is hairstyle really all that important Miss buns?" She whacked him over the head. "I deserved that." he admitted with a smile.

"Hairstyle _is_ important." she stated in a playful tone.

"Tell that to Kakashi." he retorted. "Or Lee."

"Oh they know." she said with a mischievous glint in her eyes, "It's only a matter of time until the kunoichi force them to change their ways."

"I can see it now. Posters all over the village." he began, sitting up with a wince. "Stylish hairdo now mandatory for all Konoha ninja. To improve military efficiency. Implemented today by the kunoichi of the village. Enforced by TenTen with whatever she decides to pull out of her scroll." He paused. "Then have a picture of you holding Snaga and looking all kinds of pissed off."

She giggled at the mental image, happy to see his sense of humor was back. "I would have fun enforcing that." she admitted.

"Poor Lee..." Drake mumbled, feigning sadness. "He was a good kid." That was it. The floodgates broke. TenTen laughed, she laughed hard. She laughed so hard she fell flat onto the couch, wiping tears from her eyes.

"You okay?" he asked jokingly, helping her sit up.

"Never better." she said, scooting over to lean against him. He put his arms around her.

"I missed you." he admitted aloud.

"I missed you too." she replied, relaxing into his embrace. A comfortable silence followed, both of them just enjoying being together again. Eventually TenTen broke the silence. "You had a thing for Shanks didn't you?" she asked, looking up with a mischievous smile that would make the topic of their conversation proud.

"Whatever gave you that idea?" he asked, blushing a little.

"I saw the way you looked at her." she stated.

"I look at a lot of people." he stated defensively.

"Not like that, you don't. It was the same way you look at me." she stated simply, resting her head on his chest. "Your eyes soften."

"Do they now?" he asked. She nodded. "Ever the keen observer." he stated with a smile.

"Always." she said with contented smile.

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**ELSEWHERE**

Sasuke ran blindly toward the trees.

*_Karin... Juugo... Suigetsu..._*

The three other members of his team were dead. Killed by this... thing... that was chasing him. It had killed Juugo as he lay sleeping, tearing out his throat with its fangs. Then Suigetsu, who was supposed to be on watch. Suigetsu's scream had awoken Karin and himself. It had caught Karin as she turned to run, the massive talons slicing through her back. He had thrown everything he could at it, and it just kept coming. He'd put a chidori through it's stomach, he'd stabbed it through the chest, he'd hit it with a Fireball Jutsu, It just shrugged them all off.

His right arm hung uselessly at his side where the thing's talons had winged him as he made his escape. He was almost out of chakra. He looked over his shoulder into a wolf-like face, eyes glowing red, fangs bared, as it bounded after him. It was gaining on him, and he couldn't outmaneuver it without trees to jump between, nor could he couldn't form any hand seals with his arm like this. So he ran, sheer terror giving him speed. He was almost to the trees. He looked over his shoulder again.

The beast was gone!

Just when he was about to reach the trees, he slammed into something massive and black, falling to the ground in pain. Looking up in terror, he saw the creature looming over him, fangs bared. His mouth opened in a wordless scream, but the creature's fangs flashed down before any sound could form. The body went limp, and the beast tore into it ferociously, gorging itself on his flesh. A few minutes later, its jaws dripping blood, the Joining stood to its full height and howled its victory to the full moon.

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	15. into the pursuit

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Drake stood at the back of the crowd, his gaze sweeping over the heads of the assembled people. The seats had all filled up quickly, so the remainder of the guests were left standing. Naruto was standing in his place already, his black tux complimented by a bright orange shirt. Tsunade stood next to him, in the formal robes of the Hokage, funny hat and all.

He looked down to the clothes TenTen had conned him into buying. Black collared shirt, black pants, black tie, black silk headband to cover his normal white one, all topped off with a black suit coat he'd had tailored to the length of his normal coat. All of it had to be specially tailored in his size. The coat had only been finished this morning. He rotated his shoulders uncomfortably.

*_So damn uncomfortable..._* He thought to himself. *_Why do people wear this stuff?_* His thoughts were interrupted when someone bumped into him.

"Apologies." a deep voice said from beside him.

"No harm done." he said, turning to see where the voice had come from. The man was tall, for a ninja. His eyes were hidden by a pair of dark glasses, and his dark hair was up in unruly spikes. The collar of his shirt had been flipped up to hide the lower half of his face from view. "Drake." the tall man introduced himself, extending his hand.

"Shino." the stranger said, shaking the offered hand.

"Everyone looks so... civilian." Drake observed. "When they're dressed like this you'd never guess that almost everybody here could kill you twenty different ways with a sheet of paper."

"Weddings are one of the few times we get to act like regular people." Shino stated simply. "Twenty-one by the way..." Drake's eyebrow arched. "Coat it in poison, hypnotize them with a Genjutsu, make them eat it." Shino supplied, sounding amused.

Drake chuckled. "Twenty-one then."

The music started, and Drake saw the first pair walking up the aisle. Kakashi, arm-in-arm with TenTen. Kakashi looked bored as always, a plain black headband covering his Sharingan eye and his collar flipped up like Shino's in place of his mask. Drake gasped when he saw TenTen, she wore a dark red kimono, with her brown hair down to her shoulders instead of in the usual buns. He couldn't take his eyes off of her, and found himself envying Kakashi. A few seconds after they were in place the next pair came into view. Shizune walked arm-in-arm with an older looking man with a huge mane of spiky white hair. He whispered something to her and snickered. She elbowed him in the ribs and scolded him quietly. The best man and maid of honor came into view. Ino walked arm-in-arm with a red-haired young man with some sort of symbol tattooed over his left eye.

Suddenly the music changed, and the sitting audience stood up. All eyes in the room swung to regard the far end of the room. Two small girls walked, spreading cherry blossom petals up the aisle. A hush fell over the entire assembly when Sakura came into view. She was absolutely breathtaking, wearing an extravagantly tailored white silk Kimono, the tail of which dragged some ten feet behind her. Cherry blossoms had been embroidered into the surface, the exact shade of her hair, and the cloth shimmered in the light. She slowly looked up and smiled, and a collective sigh sounded across the room. She took her place across from Naruto, and Tsunade spoke to the guests.

"You may be seated."

The service itself was fairly simple, with Tsunade performing the union. It lacked all the religious whatnot that Drake could recall from the weddings of his childhood home. The wedding was simply a union between two people, not two people and the church.

*_This place is great..._* Drake thought, his focus drifting from the wedding to his newfound home. He was brought back to the present by Tsunade's voice again.

"As Hokage of the Hidden Village of Konoha, I now pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss the bride." Tsunade's voice echoed across the chamber. Naruto lifted Sakura's veil, and they locked lips. The crowd erupted into cheers and thunderous applause as everyone in the room was swept up in the moment.

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**TWO HOURS LATER**

"Would you stop fidgeting?" TenTen asked, sounding irritated. Sakura and Naruto were making their way to the dance floor for the first dance of the night and everyone was watching silently.

"I can't help it." Drake replied. "These clothes are really uncomfortable."

Tsunade's voice suddenly boomed across the room. "A TOAST TO THE HAPPY COUPLE!" Her words were slightly slurred. The Hokage was apparently not wasting her opportunity to enjoy herself. The collection of people cheered, and Drake and TenTen raised their glasses.

"AND A TOAST TO THEIR WEDDING NIGHT!" Jiraiya's voice rang out, just as drunk as Tsunade, if not moreso. A much louder cheer accompanied this second raising of glasses.

Drake looked up to see Neji Hyuga approaching their table, a look of apprehension plastered across his face. "What's up?" he asked as the white-eyed Hyuga prodigy came within earshot.

"TenTen, may I have this dance?" Neji asked, his tone about as enthusiastic as a rock. Drake and TenTen both looked up at him curiously.

"You're married." TenTen stated simply.

"Hiashi." the white-eyed man said through clenched teeth. Drake surprised them both when a huge grin suddenly split his face and he started to laugh.

"What the hell?" TenTen asked, confused again.

"Oh nothing, I just got a really fun idea." he replied, the grin never leaving his face. The two former teammates looked at him, confused. He gestured for TenTen to come closer and whispered something in her ear.

TenTen's eyes widened in comprehension. "You have my permission."

"Great!" he said, standing up. "Have fun you two, I'm off to go see how mad I can make Neji's uncle." He shooed them toward the dance floor and began making his way towards the Hyuga table.

"What was that about?" Neji asked, still confused.

"You'll see." TenTen said with a mischievous smile, leading him to the dance floor.

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"This should be interesting." Sakura whispered to her husband as she watched Drake make the trek toward the Hyuga table from their spot on the dance floor.

Ino had kept her word and had refused to tell Sakura what had transpired between Drake and Hiashi at the training grounds, much to the pink-haired woman's displeasure. Neji however, hadn't minded describing what had happened, as well as the attack on Drake that happened later. And so, the word had spread amongst the young ninja of the village about the ongoing conflict between the old clan leader and the young newcomer.

"What?" Naruto asked, unable to see what was happening behind him. "What should be interesting?"

"A certain tall dark friend of ours is headed into hostile territory." she said cryptically.

"Hmm..." Naruto said, seemingly deep in thought. Sakura suddenly found herself spun around and swept off her feet to be caught in an unexpected kiss. Naruto was holding her horizontally, dipped low over the ground himself. The assembly roared its approval. Naruto gently lifted his wife back into a standing position and they continued dancing.

"What was that for?" Sakura asked, her face flushed.

"You're right." he stated with a mischievous grin, looking over her shoulder. "This should be interesting." Sakura punched him lightly. "Hiashi looks like he's expecting Drake-san to make a scene in front of the whole crowd." He observed.

"I hope he does." TenTen giggled as she and Neji moved to dance a few feet from them.

"Do you know what he's gonna do?" Naruto addressed her.

TenTen nodded with a grin. "Just watch." Neji and Sakura watched over their partners' shoulders as Drake walked to the Hyuga table. Once he was there, however, he did something unexpected. He ignored Hiashi completely and turned to speak to Hinata.

"Hinata-sama, may I have this dance?" Drake asked, extending his hand with a friendly smile. He noted, out of the corner of his eye, with some satisfaction, Hiashi's smug expression shatter.

"No you may not!" the clan leader said, failing to keep the anger out of his voice. Drake turned to face him, the friendly smile still on his face.

"My apologies Hiashi-sama, but I wasn't asking you." he told the older man, his tone polite. "Dancing with men isn't really my thing." Everyone at the table froze, turning their eyes to Drake and Hiashi to make sure they had misheard. Hiashi was practically trembling with rage as Drake turned to Hinata and extended his hand again. "Hinata-sama?" he asked.

"I'd love to." she said, trying to keep the grin from her face. She took his hand and they began to walk toward the dance floor. When they were a safe distance away she finally spoke.

"I've never seen anyone stand up to my father like that." she admitted with a smile. "Do you have any idea what you just did?"

"None whatsoever." he admitted.

"Do you have any idea how angry you just made my father?" she asked, bewildered. "You insulted him in front of the entire clan!"

"You're a family." he said simply. "None of you ever do that?"

"Never." she answered. "He's the head of the clan! Insulting him will get you kicked to the street with a curse seal on your forehead."

"I'm glad I'm not in a clan then." he muttered. "It's much more fun just to piss your dad off in a place where he can't send an angry mob after me."

Hinata laughed the first honest laugh he'd ever heard from her. "So this is purely political?" she asked with a smile.

He nodded. "Sorry Hinata-sama, I'm kind of with TenTen. When your dad sent Neji to get her away from me I just figured this would be a good way to get under his skin."

"I don't mind." she admitted. "It was nice to see him shut his trap for once."

"Hinata-sama!" a look of exaggerated disbelief lit Drake's features. "Such language is unbefitting of a young lady of your status." he mock-scolded.

"Quiet you." she told him with a smirk. "I hear that enough from them."

"Seems like none of the younger Hyuga like Hiashi-sama very much." Drake observed.

"He always tells me I'm too weak." Hinata stated bitterly, "and that the only reason he keeps me around is that Neji can't inherit the clan."

"Has your father ever sparred with you or watched you fight?"

"Not for a few years." she answered sadly.

"Well from what I saw when we sparred, you may not be very physically strong, but you are one of the fastest. Even faster than Neji." he paused before continuing, "...and speed like yours makes strength like mine damn near useless."

"I'd never thought about it like that." she admitted. "Thanks."

He shrugged, "It's the truth." They arrived at the dance floor. The newlyweds, as well as TenTen and Neji were all staring at Drake.

"What the hell did you say to him?" Neji asked, moving so he and TenTen were directly to Drake's left, "He looked like he wanted to kill you right then and there."

"He misunderstood who I was asking to dance." Drake said simply. "I told him I don't like men."

The four of them blanched. "You did what?" they asked in unison.

"It was fun." he admitted. "You should see the face he's making at me."

"I want to see." Hinata said, joining into the conversation.

"Me too." TenTen admitted. Drake and Neji slowly swung around in the process of dancing, giving the girls a clear view of the now fuming Hiashi.

"Isn't it great?" Drake asked mischievously. "He's so pissed he's practically twitching."

Hinata laughed another genuine heartfelt laugh, as did TenTen, Naruto, and Sakura. Neji was fighting valiantly not to. But upon seeing his uncle's face when TenTen turned him, the floodgates broke and he started to laugh too. A loud crash suddenly interrupted their mirth. All eyes in the room swung to look, there was debris flying everywhere, and the clamor of people obscured any sound from carrying very far. Someone was shouting drunkenly, and their words were hard to understand, three of them were clear, however. _SPRINGTIME OF YOUTH._

Drake locked eyes with TenTen and saw a look of utter dread on her face. Neji sped off in the direction of the commotion. "What's going on?" he asked, confused.

TenTen turned to him, "No time to explain! Come on!" She grabbed his tie and dragged him off in the direction of the destruction. Someone had apparently handed Rock Lee a glass of wine during the revelry. The toast had been declared to commemorate the happy couple. It all went downhill from there. Being shinobi, the nearby revelers had all managed to escape the drunken man's sudden fury, aiding the non-shinobi present as well. Several of the tables and chairs, however, were not so lucky. As he got to the scene Drake saw Neji try to grab ahold of Lee, Neji was instead sent flying, back in the direction he came. Drake ran to catch the Hyuga prodigy before he hit the ground headfirst.

"Thanks," the smaller man said breathlessly as he was set down.

"What's with Lee?" the big man asked, confusion lacing his voice.

"Alcohol makes him like this... that's why we try to keep it away from him." Neji explained. He gestured at the people gathered around. "Apparently someone didn't know."

"How do we stop him?" Drake asked Neji and TenTen.

Neji shrugged. "We used to hold him down or knock him out, but it's been years since then. He's too strong for us now."

"I'll be the judge of that." Drake said, cracking his knuckles before throwing his coat over a surviving chair and slowly approaching Lee. Lee's suit had been torn in a few places to reveal his trademark green jumpsuit underneath. The drunk man demolished another table with a single punch.

"WHY IS ALL THIS STUFF HERE!?" he yelled at nobody in particular.

"Hey Lee." Drake tried to start up a conversation, approaching Lee with his arms held out to try and box the drunk man in.

"Who tha hell're you?" Lee turned to regard the big man quizzically.

"I'm Drake." the tall man began, "You know me."

"I do?"

"Yep... You do." Drake tried to keep him talking as he moved closer. Lee's face suddenly turning angry was all the warning Drake had.

"BACK OFF!" the taijutsu master yelled at the top of his lungs, rushing towards Drake. Drake was thrown back thirty feet to land on his back, suddenly looking at the ceiling.

"Wow." he said simply as TenTen rushed to his side. "Didn't see that coming... didn't even see it happen."

"Are you okay?" she asked.

"Better," he grinned. "I'm finally having fun." She arched an eyebrow at him. He just shrugged. "Okay," he said, jumping back to his feet. "Time for plan B." he said calmly, suddenly moving faster than TenTen could follow. He appeared next to Lee, and picked the smaller man up in a bear hug. "Sorry Lee..." Drake muttered, and brought his forehead down to crash against Lee's own, the force of the headbutt reverberating through both of them. TenTen and Neji both winced at the sound of the impact, their sympathy going to opposite combatants. The entire room seemed to freeze for a few moments. Finally Lee went limp... unconscious. A collective held breath was released from all those assembled.

Drake threw Lee over his shoulder, turning to address Neji and TenTen. "Where do you want him?" he asked calmly, rubbing his own forehead. They both just stood there, each taking a few moments to process what had just happened.

It was in those moments that Drake realized just how many people were watching him. He was suddenly very uncomfortable. Someone started to clap. Then someone else joined in, then another, then another, before long half the room were applauding Drake's performance in bringing Lee under control. Drake shifted his weight uncomfortably and looked to TenTen for some assurance. She was just grinning from ear to ear and clapping too. "Thanks." he mouthed to her, narrowing his eyes.

After shaking countless hands and being introduced to about fifty new people, Drake was finally able to free himself from the uncomfortable weight of being the center of attention. He made his way to the Hyuga table again to apologize for leaving Hinata so abruptly.

"I don't mind." she said simply, her words starting to slur a little. "I was getting a.... little... tired... any... way." She slumped forward, eyes shut.

"Hinata-sama?" Drake said, suddenly alarmed. Not getting a response, he turned to see Hiashi with his hands forming a seal.

"Genjutsu." Hiashi explained calmly. "Nobody will hear or see anything that happens here." All the people at the nearby tables were in a similar state.

"You know, you're taking this rejection way too hard Hiashi-sama." Drake prodded. "I'm sure there's plenty of guys here who'd love to dance with you."

"Shut your mouth!" Hiashi snapped furiously. "You have no right to talk to me as an equal, and you have no right to wear the symbol of this village."

"This again?" Drake asked calmly. "Why not?"

"The Hyuga clan is the oldest and strongest clan in Konoha." Hiashi stated angrily. "We are the foundation upon which Konoha stands, without us the entire village crumbles."

"I had no idea the entire village rested on your shoulders Hiashi-_sama_." Drake stressed the last word with sarcasm. "But I fail to see where I fit in with this."

"You are a threat to us, and therefore a threat to the stability of all Konoha." Hiashi continued. "I'd hoped Lee would eliminate you. He failed, as usual."

"He gave me a headache." Drake admitted. "Does that count?"

"I wish he'd killed you." Hiashi said calmly. "'A tragic accident' they'd say. And then you'd be out of my village for good."

"'Slippery slope' huh?" Drake asked.

"What?" Hiashi snapped.

"The fact that you personally dislike me or that I'm disadvantageous to your clan's standing isn't enough of a reason for me to be kicked out of Konoha, or killed." Drake explained. "So you try to convince everyone that by being a threat to you, I'm a threat to the entire village. Then you argue that action should be taken because I'm a threat to the village. That is a slippery slope argument. Nobody in this village fears me or my power, except you."

"I 'm not afraid of you." Hiashi said, malice thick in his voice.

"Whatever you say." Drake chuckled. "So you had someone slip Lee the alcohol?" he said conversationally, changing the subject.

"I knew you'd be compelled to help, what with that silly 'Code' of yours." Hiashi sneered.

Drake kept his anger in check. "So you disrupted the future Hokage's wedding and caused that much collateral damage just on the off chance you could hurt me?"

"This wedding is a farce." Hiashi said angrily. "Shinobi should not indulge in things like this. Emotional attachment brings weakness and fear. Look at Hinata."

"You don't even know her." Drake said a little more angrily than he intended. "and you didn't answer my question."

"So what if I had someone slip him the drink?" The older man snapped.

Drake shrugged. "How does your clan feel about these methods of yours?" he asked innocently.

"I don't care what they think." Hiashi fumed. "I am the leader of the Hyuga. If they don't like it, they can leave the clan."

"Hmm..." Drake mused, his eyebrow arching as his eyes swept over the assembled Hyuga. "They don't seem to appreciate that." he said, inclining his head toward the table. Hiashi followed his gaze. All eyes were on him. Neji, Hinata, the clan elders, all of the Hyuga clan were staring at Hiashi in shock. The genjutsu had been dispelled.

"How?" Hiashi asked in disbelief. Drake smiled and his hands moved from his pockets to lift the black headband he wore, revealing a blank white band underneath.

"It felt too weird not to wear a headband after all these years." Drake said nonchalantly. "You were the one who assumed I had a seal on." Hiashi's mouth was moving but he was so furious that no words would come. Chakra suddenly flared around his hand and he threw a punch at the tall man's head, aiming to disrupt the chakra flow in his brain and kill him. Hinata gasped as she saw what her father was planning to do. The chakra dissipated just before the punch landed. Hiashi's fist impacted squarely on Drake's forehead. Drake didn't even blink.

"You finished?" he asked, a little too politely. Hiashi huffed and turned to the Hyuga table.

"Come on Hinata, Neji, we're leaving." he said angrily.

"I'm not leaving." she said, her voice defiant. "It's Naruto-kun's wedding."

"I'm staying too." Neji said simply.

Hiashi's eyes widened at their defiance before narrowing angrily at Drake. "Fine! Do what you will!" He stormed off toward the door with a huff.

"One more thing Hiashi-sama." Drake began, stopping Hiashi in his tracks. "Tell them I'll be fighting back next time. They deserve to know."

"Next time they'll kill you." Hiashi said venomously.

Drake turned to head back to his table, only to come face to face with TenTen. "Oh..." he said, suddenly nervous. "Hi."

"Hi." she smiled back. She pointed to the Hyuga table, all of whom still looked shocked. "What's wrong with them."

"They just heard Hiashi say a few things." he began. "Things he'd only say if he knew they wouldn't hear him."

"And they heard him?" she asked.

He lifted his black headband to show her the seal-less headband underneath. "Genjutsu was a bad choice." he said, feigning sympathy.

"Care to elaborate?" she asked.

"Care to dance?" he asked, extending his arm.

She looped her arm in his own and they made their way to the dance floor. "Way to dodge the explanation."

"Well, a man has to prioritize." he said simply. They made it to the dance floor and started to dance, TenTen stepping close to rest her head on Drake's chest.

"So how have you been?" he asked her. "Haven't seen much of you all week."

"I've been good." she sighed happily. "Had a weird dream last night though."

"Care to elaborate?" he repeated her words from earlier.

"I was in this weird gray featureless world, just floating, and then this guy started talking to me. Said his name was Skilgannon or something." she said happily.

Drake froze.

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	16. of evil

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"Welcome back." TenTen said, looking up from the kunai she was sharpening as Drake came into view. "Wow. You look like hell." she said bluntly.

"Next time Tsunade-sama wants to _test my limits_ knock me out before I can say yes." he muttered simply.

"So what were the tests today?" she asked. Tsunade had been running tests on Drake all week in an attempt to find out some idea how his power worked.

"_How much can you lift?_ and _How far can you run without a break?_" he said simply, walking over to the bathroom

"How much _can_ you lift?" she shouted to the next room, hearing the shower start.

"Benchpress or dead lift?" he shouted back.

"Benchpress." she said as he appeared in the doorway again.

"They ran out of weights." he chuckled. "Last count was 840 pounds. That was with all the weights they had, plus Shizune and Sakura sitting on the weights."

TenTen's eyes went wide. "That can't be right."

"Could've probably done 900." he mused. "...and I wasn't even angry."

"How long did you run?" she asked.

"Tsunade-sama called it after seven hours." he said, disappearing from the doorway. "So it's _inconclusive_."

"You ran for seven hours straight?" she said in disbelief.

"I walked for three days straight with you, remember?" She heard the bathroom door close and went back to the weapon. Satisfied with her work, she sealed it back into the scroll and summoned the next one. Three weapons later, Drake emerged wearing a pair of black sweatpants, his headband secured. He flopped down on the couch next to her.

"You look tense." she said, reaching out to squeeze his shoulder experimentally.

"I'm ok." he replied.

"You're lying," she retorted. "You're so tense I bet you're fighting a migraine."

"Like a book..." he muttered. He moved to sit on the floor in front of the couch. TenTen took her place behind him and began to knead the muscles of his shoulders.

"We need to talk." she said, in a voice that allowed no argument.

"Oh?" Drake said, wincing as her irritation was made apparent by her thumbs mercilessly attacking a knot.

"Spill it." TenTen said, her tone stern. "It's already been a week since I mentioned the dream at the wedding. It's obvious you know something."

Drake sighed. He'd been avoiding the subject whenever possible. "Describe the dream to me again." he said finally, groaning as she went to work on another knot.

"I was just floating." TenTen began, "Nothing there, just gray. As far as I could see, just gray, kinda creepy really, then a man appeared in front of me."

"What'd he look like?" Drake asked her.

"He was handsome, with dark hair. His eyes were deep blue, like sapphire blue. He wore a coat like yours, but made of leather, with fringes on the shoulders, and he had a tattoo of a spider on his left forearm." She scratched her head, trying to remember what else. "Also he had some kind of weird curved thing on his back, black, but with ivory on each end."

"Olek Skilgannon." Drake confirmed, "He was friends with Druss."

"Was?" she asked, sounding curious.

"I've read many stories about them, including how each of them died." Drake said with a slight shrug. "So past tense seems appropriate."

"Oh..." she said quietly.

"So what'd he tell you?" Drake asked.

"He just told me his name, said he had a gift for me, and said 'Ask the boy with Snaga if you don't believe me.'" She poked his forehead. "Thus far the _boy_ has been less than helpful."

"Sorry." he said lamely. "Guess I'm just not optimistic about this."

"This gift?" she was curious now.

"I have a hunch." Drake admitted. "If my own experience is anything to go off of, then he wants to give you his swords."

"Is that what the thing on his back was?"

He nodded. "The Swords of Night and Day. They share a single scabbard, with one handle coming out each end."

"There's something you aren't telling me." TenTen said, her tone serious.

Drake sighed. "I hate how easily you can read me sometimes."

"You like it." she smiled. "So what aren't you telling me?"

"Skilgannon is a man tormented by his past." Drake said simply. "Because of those swords."

"How could the swords be the cause?" TenTen asked with an arched eyebrow.

"The swords are possessed." he stated. "Each sword has a demon bound within it."

"What do they do?" she asked.

"They make the wielder stronger, faster, but also unstable." he explained. "They fill you with aggression and bloodlust, and it is addictive. They eat away at your personality."

"This is what happened to Skilgannon?" she asked.

Drake nodded. "He was a general, and his army took a city called Perapolis. His... Queen... declared all the city's inhabitants traitors, and the army sacked the city. Skilgannon's swords possessed him that night. He didn't need to enter the city at all, but he joined his troops, killing men, women, children, all on the blades of the Swords. Ever since that night he was known as 'Skilgannon the Damned'."

TenTen was quiet now. "So he slaughtered civilians because of the Swords of Night and Day?"

Drake nodded solemnly. "He spent the rest of his life, and most of his afterlife, never forgiving himself for that night."

"The swords are that powerful?" she asked.

"Yes." Drake affirmed.

"What if he gives them to me?" she asked, more to herself than anyone else.

"We'll need to find some way to exorcise them." Drake said simply. "If we could do that, they'd be like Snaga."

"How do you know all of this?" she asked him. He stood up and moved to his bookshelf. Finding what he was looking for, he tossed a leather-bound book to TenTen. "White Wolf?" she read the title aloud.

"That's the bulk of Skilgannon's story." he said simply.

"This looks like a novel." she said, sounding skeptical.

"That's what I thought they were..." Drake admitted with a chuckle, "Then Druss started talking to me."

"Fair enough." she conceded. She was about to continue, but a knock on the door stopped her train of thought. Drake moved to get the door, opening it to look into two pairs of white eyes. He tensed, only relaxing when he saw who the eyes belonged to.

"Neji-sama? Hinata-sama?" he questioned aloud, "What are you two doing here?"

"We need to talk." Neji said simply. Drake handed Neji and Hinata each a glass of tea as they settled onto the couch.

"Hiashi-sama is spreading rumors about you." Neji said simply, accepting the tea with a nod.

"What else is new?" Drake asked honestly.

"Hinata-sama and I have been telling the story of what's gone on between you and Hiashi-sama, the real story." Neji paused. "She thought it could help to bring more people to your side of the conflict."

"Thank you." he nodded to Hinata, "Why would you do this for me?"

"There have been rumors lately." Hinata said simply, "About them planning another attack on you."

"Rumors?" TenTen piped in. "I would think that things like that would be kept secret..."

"After his little episode at the wedding, the clan has decided we need to keep a closer watch on him." Neji informed her.

"He still has loyal followers, most of them the ones that were involved in the first attack on you." Hinata informed them. "Neji and I have been trying to keep an eye on them."

"A few of them are from the branch house," Neji stated, sounding ashamed. "I'm trying to keep them out of trouble, but I can only do that when I'm here, If I'm away on a mission..."

"They'll listen to Hiashi." Drake finished.

Neji nodded. "I'm sorry."

"It's fine." Drake assured him. "This time I have Tsunade-sama's permission to fight back." Hinata looked worried. "I'm not going to kill them," he reassured her, "just going to... discourage... this type of action in the future."

Neji nodded. "Maybe after being thrashed some of them might reconsider their allegiance to Hiashi."

"We also know they are going to be fully armed this time." Hinata added.

Drake sighed. "So that's an advantage for them." Neji arched an eyebrow, and Drake pointed to Snaga hanging on the wall.

"How exactly would you use that and _not_ risk killing someone?" he asked.

"Point taken." Neji admitted.

"Neji, I think we should go." Hinata said suddenly, "Much longer and father will get suspicious." Neji nodded.

"I appreciate the warning." Drake said honestly, "Don't take any more risks like this, especially you Neji, he could activate your curse seal if he found out."

Neji shrugged. "One last warning. I'm leaving on a mission first thing tomorrow morning." he began, "I'll be gone all week. Try not to fall into a pattern."

Drake nodded. "Thanks. Good luck on the mission."

"Thanks." Neji nodded, stepping out the door.

"I feel guilty for causing so much dissent in their clan." Drake admitted, flopping back down on the couch.

"Don't." TenTen said simply, sitting next to him. "You haven't done anything, Hiashi is doing this to himself."

Drake pondered this for a moment. "But if it weren't for me, for all we know Hiashi would still be a completely respectable person." he pointed out.

"We've been over this," TenTen said, sounding bored. "No you would mean no me, and I much prefer my own life to stability in the Hyuuga clan."

"Can't disagree with that." he admitted with a yawn, leaning back and closing his eyes.

"Even if you could, would you?" she asked playfully.

"Nope." he admitted. TenTen turned out the light and moved to snuggle in beside him, and his arm reflexively wrapped around her. Within minutes they were both asleep

TenTen found herself floating in the gray featureless plane again.

"Hello?" she said aloud.

"Hello." a polite voice said behind her. She spun to regard the source of the voice.

"Skilgannon-san" she said politely, bowing her head.

"TenTen." he said, reciprocating the bow. "I see you know who I am now." TenTen nodded.

"Drake told me your story." she said simply.

"I fear he downplayed the evil." the blue-eyed man said sadly.

"Perapolis?" she asked.

"He had the story partly right." he said with a sigh. "I did take part in the slaughter, but there was no possession. The swords influenced me, sure enough, but my actions that night were my own."

"How long has it been since then?" TenTen asked.

"Too long." he admitted. "and yet not long enough." TenTen arched an eyebrow at his answer.

"You're too young to understand." he said with a slight smile. "But that is beside the point. I need your help."

"With what?" she asked suspiciously.

"Your tall friend was correct. I intend to give you my swords." he began. "But I would ask that the two of you purge the demons from them first."

"Why us?"

"Your friend defeated the demon that was bound in Snaga..." Skilgannon explained. "Normally a demon that is defeated just goes back to the void. He destroyed it completely, which is unheard of."

TenTen paused. "How do you know about this? Did you talk to Druss?"

"Much as I miss him, no. His link is to your friend." Skilgannon explained.

"Then how do you know what happened?"

"Word travels quickly in the void." he said with a smile. "It's not every day a demon dies."

"So what do you gain from this?" she asked after a long silence.

"If the swords come to you, their evil will be gone from my world." Skilgannon explained, "And if you and the boy destroy the demons, their evil will be gone from your world, as well as the void." She looked him in the eyes, unconvinced. "Call it an attempt at redemption." he admitted. "It seemed worthwhile to rid the world of a little evil after I spread so much."

TenTen sighed. "So how do we exorcise the blades?"

Skilgannon looked pleased. "You remember that arena where Drake fought the demon for Snaga?" She nodded. "The swords will appear on an altar, the same altar the demon had covered in bones." TenTen shuddered at the memory. "If you place the blades in the altar, the demons will be released. I recommend you bring Druss's successor with you to help handle that part." Suddenly, Skilgannon's outline began to blur and fade. "Something is waking you up." he explained. "I have one more warning for you..."

"What?" she asked, her tone impatient.

"The Night ends the Day..." he was almost completely gone. "...and the Day ends the Night."

"I don't understand!" she shouted into the empty gray realm. Suddenly she was back in the real world, with a slight weight on her chest and something small, wet and rough scraping her nose repeatedly. "Toki..." she muttered angrily. After refilling Toki's food and water, which weren't even half-empty yet, TenTen returned to the couch and snuggled back into place beside Drake. She was awake now, so sleep wouldn't come no matter how hard she tried. She felt his arm tighten a little and smiled. She looked up to study his face, her eyes drawn to the bags under his eyes. He'd been pushing himself to his limits lately, these tests Tsunade had devised were taking their toll. And now they'd soon be off to fight another monster, and he'd put himself on the line to kill it. She needed a distraction. Much further on this train of thought and she'd dwell herself into having a bad day already, and the sun had only risen an hour ago. She decided to wake him up.

"Drake." she said softly. Nothing happened. She threw the blanket off of them. Nothing. "Hmm..." she thought aloud, studying the sleeping man. Her eyes wandered of their own accord down to his muscled chest, lingering on the various scars. It occurred to her then that she hadn't considered what they'd actually _do_ once he woke up. She blushed a little when her mind took that and ran in a not-so-innocent direction with it. She wondered how he'd react. They hadn't done anything too physical yet. He'd said he didn't want to pressure her into anything, so they'd move at her pace.

*_Screw it..._* she thought. *_there's only one way to find out..._*

Drake felt a weight settle on his lap as he woke up, his eyes opened to see TenTen straddling him. "TenTen? what's..." His question was cut off when she suddenly brought her lips to his in a deep kiss. His eyes widened for a moment, but then experience took over and he returned the kiss with equal force. Drake felt her hands reach up to untie his headband. After a few seconds the kiss deepened, and their tongues began to fight for dominance. Drake's arms moved to wrap around her waist and he felt her nails lightly trace down his chest. This continued for what seemed like an hour before they finally had to break for air. TenTen rested her forehead against his and looked into his eyes.

"Morning." she said between breaths.

"Morning." he replied, equally winded. Drake saw her expression change, becoming apologetic.

"Sorry..." she began, "Don't know what came over m..." This time it was Drake's turn to interrupt, pulling her down into another kiss. TenTen shivered in delight. He'd never kissed her like this before. Usually it was gently, almost reverently. This was primal, rough, and needy. She'd have to try and bring this side out of him more often. They broke for air again. She looked into his eyes, cupping his face in her hands. She went in for another kiss, but a sound stopped both of them. Someone was knocking on the door.

TenTen looked to her scroll, contemplating which weapon to use on whomever it was that had just ruined the moment. Drake likewise looked to Snaga on the wall.

"Dammit." he eventually grumbled, reluctantly untangling himself from her and moving to answer the door. He opened the door to Kakashi, looking bored, with his nose buried in his book as always.

"Kakashi." Drake said, a tiny bit of irritation trickling into his voice. "Can I help you?"

"Tsunade-sama wants to see you." he said simply.

Drake growled. "I'll be there in a few minutes." He saw Kakashi make the hand-seal for a teleportation jutsu as he closed the door. An idea formed in his head.

"What's with the smirk?" TenTen asked as she straightened her clothes, her face still flushed from their little session. There was a much harder knock on the door.

"Dammit Drake that's not funny!" Kakashi's voice grumbled through the door.

"Oh, sorry Kakashi. Must've forgotten." Drake said in an exaggerated apology.

He closed his eyes and TenTen heard a muffled "Poof!"

"No sense of humor, that man." he muttered. Ten minutes later, after two cold showers and some fresh clothes, Drake and TenTen knocked on the door to the Hokage's office.

"Enter!" Tsunade's voice answered from the other side. Drake and TenTen walked into the office and bowed. "TenTen?" the blonde woman asked. "What brings you to my office?"

"I was at his place, so I figured I'd tag along." she said simply.

"You slept there again? You spend more nights there than your own apartment." Tsunade said, looking between the two of them with a mischievous twinkle in her eye.

"I sleep on the couch." Drake said simply. TenTen fought to suppress a laugh, but it didn't entirely work.

"What's so funny?" Tsunade turned to look her in the eye.

"So what do you need me for?" Drake interrupted. Tsunade handed him a large folder. Drake regarded the title of the folder. "Advanced Taijutsu 101?"

Tsunade nodded. "A class at the academy."

"Why give this to me? I don't need classes. My taijutsu is fine." Drake noticed TenTen was avoiding eye contact.

"You aren't going to be taking the class." Tsunade began. "You're going to be teaching it."

"What!?" Drake asked, bewildered. "I can't teach!"

"Why not?" Tsunade asked simply.

"I don't know what these kids need to learn." he said, mentally backpedaling from the situation.

"This is an optional course," Tsunade explained. "The kids are learning what they need from their mandatory classes."

Drake scratched his head. "You aren't going to let me say 'no' are you?"

"No." she said simply.

"Why not?" he asked, "I'm not good with kids."

"When you first came to the village, she..." Tsunade pointed to TenTen, "came up with this as a way for you to be of use to the village."

"What can I teach them that Lee or Gai can't?" Drake asked.

"You can teach them to fight without chakra, like you do." she explained. "It's one thing to say 'No ninjutsu or genjutsu', it's another to take them away completely.".

"What methods am I allowed to use?" he asked, his eyebrow arching.

"Whatever you deem necessary." Tsunade answered simply.

Drake scratched his chin, deep in thought. "I'll need a few sets of weights," he paused, "...and a medic."

"A medic?" Tsunade asked, looking alarmed.

"If I don't have a medic, they won't learn as much." he said simply. "You can come watch if you like, when's the class?"

"Three o'clock this afternoon." she said with a smile.

Drake blanched. "Thanks for all the time to prepare." he muttered.

"That's all for now, you can go." the Hokage said dismissively.

"Actually Tsunade-sama..." TenTen began, "I have a request."

"Oh?" Tsunade asked, her face showing her curiosity. TenTen explained the dreams, and what Drake had explained about the swords.

"We'll just need a medic." TenTen stated. "The two of us can handle the rest."

"Can you pull this off before Monday?" the blonde Hokage asked, "I need you two back on the mission rotation by then."

"If we leave tonight." TenTen supplied, "Then yes."

"Alright... I'll find you a medic." Tsunade pondered. "I'll brief you after your class is over."

"Thank you Hokage-sama." The two of them bowed in unison before leaving. Drake and TenTen made their way through the streets of Konoha toward the training grounds.

"Let's take the back way." Drake suddenly said, gesturing over his shoulder. TenTen followed his gesture stealthily, noticing the figures watching them from a nearby alley. She looked to Drake, confused. "I'm bored." he said simply. "And I owe them for the last beating they gave me."

TenTen rolled her eyes. "How can you be so nonchalant about this?"

"They want to fight." Drake shrugged. "Fighting is what I'm good at."

"I disagree." she said with a smirk as her mind drifted to his actions this morning, but her train of thought was interrupted when they turned a corner to face about twenty angry Hyuga.

"Wow, you guys have eyes and ears everywhere..." Drake said, his voice full of wonder. "I mean... _I've_ only known where I was going for a few minutes." A few of them scowled at his attempt at humor, the rest remained impassive. TenTen pulled a small scroll from her pocket, and a quarterstaff appeared in her hands with a puff of smoke, she took a defensive stance. Drake took Snaga off his back and laid it against the wall of the alley, moving back to stand beside TenTen again. "So who wants to go first?" he asked them amiably, cracking his knuckles. Without a sound someone rushed from his left with a katana drawn. Drake caught the katana with one of his arm guards, thundering an uppercut into the man's chin with his other fist. The man fell down and lay still. "Who's next?" he smiled. They all rushed in, weapons drawn.

About thirty seconds later, the attackers had all fled, all bruised and beaten, some carrying unconscious comrades. Save one, who lay at Drake's feet. Drake had a kunai jutting from his left shoulder and a few bruises, but was otherwise unharmed. TenTen's staff was notched and dented, but she was untouched. The tall man crouched to regard the young Hyuga he'd knocked out.

"Can't be more than 13..." he thought aloud. "Way too young to be involved in this crap." TenTen moved to him, worry on her face as she looked at the hilt jutting from his shoulder. "I'm fine." he said. "We need to get this kid to the hospital though, think I might've hit him a little too hard."

"I can't believe they just left him here." TenTen muttered.

"I can." Drake said harshly, picking the boy up gently. "It's something to blame on me if anything happens to him."

The trip to the hospital was slow, Drake moving at a walk to keep from hurting the unconscious boy. When they entered the emergency room Sakura rushed to meet them. "What happened?" the pink haired medic asked, motioning for one of her colleagues to bring a stretcher.

"Hiashi sent me another welcoming party." Drake deadpanned, laying the injured boy on the offered stretcher. She glared at him.

"He did _this_ to me..." Drake pointed to the kunai still lodged in his shoulder. "...So I _might_ have hit him a little harder than the others."

A green glow surrounded Sakura's hand, which she held to the boy's chest. "Four broken ribs and internal bleeding is a _little_ harder?" Drake suddenly looked concerned. "He'll be fine..." Sakura reassured the tall man. "He'll just be off his feet for a couple days."

"Who is he?" TenTen asked, joining the conversation.

"I'll find out." Sakura stated, left to take the young Hyuga to surgery and came back a couple minutes later thumbing through a file. "Kota Hyuga, Age 13." she said conversationally. "Member of the Hyuga clan's branch house."

"Can we deal with this now?" Drake gestured to the kunai jutting from his shoulder. "I kinda have somewhere I need to be."

Sakura moved him to a nearby chair and a green glow enveloped her hand. "Tell me when you're ready."

Drake reached up and wrenched the kunai clear impatiently. "I'm ready." TenTen whacked him over the head.

"So where do you have to be?" Sakura asked conversationally.

"He's teaching an advanced Taijutsu class." TenTen piped in with a smile.

"You're as bad as Naruto!" Sakura scolded the big man. "Coming in for repairs and then running off to get hurt again."

Drake chuckled and scratched the back of his head. "I'm sorry?" he offered lamely.

Sakura stalked off and returned with a sling, which she put around Drake's left arm. "Well, no using this arm for at least the night." Sakura informed him. "Tomorrow it should be fine, but you risk re-opening the wound if you stress it too much today."

"Well this'll make teaching taijutsu a little more interesting..." Drake chuckled as he threw his coat over his shoulders.

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"Sorry I'm late," Drake announced, moving to the front of the group. "Let's get this show on the road." As his eyes swept over the assembled students he did a quick mental count. *_16... more than I expected_* He also noticed Tsunade and Hinata standing in the back, joined by TenTen. *_Hmm... Hinata must be our medic then._* "Welcome to Brawling 101." Drake said, his tone cold. "My name's Drake, and apparently I'm going to attempt to teach you how to win a fight entirely without the use of your chakra."

"That's stupid..." A dark haired young man said from the back row. "When would we ever need to fight without chakra?"

Drake locked eyes with the little hotshot before continuing. "This class will be hands-on, with a focus on sparring."

"We spar in our normal taijutsu class." the little loudmouth chimed, starting to grate on the tall man's nerves.

"So you're a bit of an expert are you?" Drake asked politely.

The boy's gaze swept across his classmates. "I'm the best one at taijutsu here." he said proudly. "My name's Kona." Drake saw all the girls in the class gazing adoringly at the little loudmouth.

"The best? Wow." Drake played along. "and who's the worst?"

"Toji." the boy said, without any hesitation. He pointed to a nervous looking boy toward the back.

*_What a judgmental little..._* Drake waved for Toji to come up and join him.

"Kona-kun, you will spar against Toji-kun in front of the class." he said simply. "After I have a few words with him." Toji looked mortified. "Toji-kun, walk with me for a bit." The two of them walked until they were out of earshot and then Drake crouched down.

"Why do you let him talk about you like that?" Drake asked, his tone softening.

"Because it's true." the boy said sadly. "I suck at taijutsu, that's why I'm here. To learn."

"How do you 'suck' at taijutsu?" the tall man asked.

"I'm not fast enough." Toji said simply. "I can never keep up."

"How hard can you hit?" Drake asked.

"I don't know." the boy admitted.

"Alright, throw a punch into my hand." Drake held up his right hand, palm open. "As hard as you can." The boy did so. Drake's palm stung. "You are like me then." the tall man said with an approving smile. "Slow but powerful."

"But what good is power if I can't hit him?" Toji asked.

"You need to learn to fight on your terms Toji-kun." Drake explained.

"On my terms?" the boy repeated.

"You said you can't keep up. I can't help you there. You need to learn to use your strength." The boy looked lost. "If your opponent is faster than you, then trying to keep up is pointless." Drake paused. "Bide your time, and then when he comes in, nail him. Remember, he has to come _to_ you to _hit_ you. You just need to set an ambush."

"An ambush?" Toji thought about this.

"Can you do this for me?" Drake asked.

"I think so." Toji muttered.

"Alright, let's see you show Kona how it's done." the tall man stood and began to walk back to the class.

"You're wasting your time you know." Kona told Drake as he returned. "He'll never beat me."

Drake sighed in irritation. "Alright, Kona-kun I'll make you a deal. If you beat Toji then you pass the class, you'll never have to come here and listen to me again." He paused. "But if you lose, you apologize to Toji, and then you run ten laps around this training field wearing weights."

The little hotshot suddenly looked nervous. Drake decided to add more pressure. "This fight will last until one of you is unable to fight any more, but don't worry, Hinata-sama and _Hokage_-sama..." he gestured to where the Hokage and the young Hyuga heiress were standing. "Are here to see to it that you are not hurt."

Sweat started to form on the boys' foreheads. "Alright gentlemen, face each other." Drake's voice commanded. "Bow." They did so. "Begin!"

Kona was suddenly a blur, streaking toward Toji. Toji sidestepped and the blur sped past him. Kona circled and tried again. Toji sidestepped at the last minute again. Holding his ground. Kona circled again, coming straight at Toji from the front. Straight into Toji's fist. Toji cannoned a punch into Kona's forehead, and the loudmouthed boy hit the ground, seeing stars. Their classmates cheered.

"Wow." Drake said with a smile as he helped Kona to his feet. "Look at that. Toji won." The class cheered again. "Now Kona..." Drake began. "Go have Tsunade-sama fix that bruise. I'm feeling lenient today, so no laps."

Kona muttered angrily and made his way to where the Hokage was standing and watching. She went to work on the bruise and once it was gone she looked down at the boy. "So what did you learn from that fight Kona-kun?" she asked him.

"Drake-sensei hates me." Kona pouted.

"No." Tsunade chuckled. "If he hated you he'd have fought you himself."

"Then what?" the boy demanded angrily.

"If Drake-san could bring Toji to that level with a bit of advice, how much do you think he could teach you if you actually listened?"

"Hmph." the boy pouted.

"How much?" she repeated.

"A lot." the boy finally admitted.

"Now, I believe you owe your classmate and your sensei an apology." Tsunade said, ruffling the little boy's hair.

"Mm." he nodded.

"Alright kids, gather round. The next activity we're going to do is called a 'Bear pit'." Drake crouched and began to explain the rules to them.

**THREE HOURS LATER**

"Alright! I'll see you all next week!" Drake yelled to the slowly retreating children.

"Sensei..." a small voice said from beside him. He turned to regard Toji smiling from ear to ear. He crouched to eye level with the boy.

"Yes Toji?" he asked simply.

"Thank you. I've never beaten anyone at Taijutsu before."

"Anytime laddie. Go get some rest. I'll see you next week." he said with a smile. The boy waved and took off toward the Village.

"Well my my..." Drake heard Tsunade's voice from beside him. "You're a natural."

"It was easier than I thought it'd be." Drake admitted. "Though Kona got on my nerves a little in the beginning."

"I think he'll shape up." TenTen chuckled.

"I explained the mission to Hinata before the class, so you can leave as soon as you're ready. She'll be your medic."

"Alright." Drake said. "Meet at the gate in a half hour?"

"Sounds good." TenTen said.

"Works for me." Hinata nodded.

The moon shone through the window to Kota Hyuga's hospital room, giving it a pale blue glow. The room was completely silent, save for the slow beep of the heart monitor. A swirl of leaves erupted in the corner, and a dark figure slowly walked to the bedside.

"You have one more service to perform for the clan Kota-kun." The man said as his hands wove through a complex set of seals, finally he laid his hand on the seal on Kota's forehead. The seal began to glow an angry red, and the young man on the bed began to writhe in pain. His white eyes shot open and the beeping sped up. The figure beside the bed roughly clamped a hand over his mouth to keep him from screaming. After a couple agonizing minutes, the boy ceased his agonized thrashing, a steady tone rang out from the heart monitor.

"Thank you Kota-kun." Hiashi said with a smile. "Your sacrifice will help ensure _my_ clan's continued prosperity." he disappeared with a puff of smoke, moments before the emergency medical team arrived in the room.

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	17. never back away

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The moon was high in the sky by the time Drake, TenTen, and Hinata decided to stop and set up camp a few miles south of their intended destination.

"I'll go find some firewood." Drake supplied, setting down his pack and coat and hefting Snaga. TenTen watched him until he was completely out of sight, her mind wandering to their little 'session' earlier that morning.

"Stupid Kakashi... interrupting us..." she thought aloud, a blush rising on her cheeks.

"What?" Hinata asked playfully, suddenly appearing next to her. "What'd Kakashi interrupt?"

"N.. Nothing..." TenTen stammered, her blush deepening.

"Were you two being naughty?" Hinata asked with a mischievous grin.

"You been spying with the Byakugan again Hinata-chan?" TenTen said with an accusing look.

"That only happened once!" Hinata exclaimed defensively. "...and that was a long time ago."

"Uh huh... sure." TenTen teased.

"It was their fault!" Hinata pouted. "You could hear them going at it all the way down in the street." TenTen grinned as she pulled out a small scroll. This was a side of Hinata only a few people ever saw, Hinata the teenager.

"And the fact that Naruto was involved didn't influence you at all?" she teased.

"NO!" The white-eyed girl denied before blushing an even darker shade of crimson. "Well... maybe a little."

"There's the Hinata-chan I remember." TenTen chuckled, summoning her bedroll and pillow and rolling the scroll back up.

Hinata narrowed her eyes. "Don't change the subject! What were you two doing?"

TenTen blushed again. "Well..."

"I thought so." Hinata said matter-of-factly.

"It didn't go _that_ far." TenTen said simply.

"You sound disappointed." Hinata pointed out with a smile. "He that good?"

"It was... nice." TenTen admitted. "But then Tsunade-sama needed him to teach that class, and then this mission could only happen if we left immediately. Ugh..." Hinata smiled. "Whenever we get any time alone, someone interrupts us!" TenTen fumed. "It's not fair!"

"So being with him doesn't... bother you at all?" Hinata asked, "He's so huge, it's kind of intimidating."

"It was a little off-putting in the beginning." TenTen admitted. "But he's completely different once you get to know him."

"Oh?" Hinata asked, content to listen for the time being.

"When he's fighting he seems so... indomitable," TenTen mused. "...like you could drop a mountain on him and he'd just get up and dust himself off."

"And when he isn't fighting?" Hinata asked.

"He's a big softy. At least with me." TenTen grinned proudly. "Did you know he has a pet kitten?" Hinata laughed. "It's true. Toki must have been asleep when you guys came over to warn him."

"I can't picture a kitten living with him." Hinata admitted.

"Pushiest little ball of fur you ever did see." TenTen chuckled.

"I'll have to see this once we get home." Hinata said with a smile.

TenTen nodded cheerfully. "Just make sure we know you're coming. I almost killed Kakashi this morning."

"Alright." the white-eyed girl chuckled at the thought. A comfortable silence formed, which lasted until another question formed in the Hyuga heiress's mind. "So how'd you two hit it off?"

"You didn't hear?" TenTen asked, a bit of disbelief in her voice.

"I heard something about him rescuing you and carrying you home with a kunai in his back." Hinata nodded. "I figured it was kind of exaggerated."

"It was four kunai." TenTen said simply. "...and he carried me for three days straight."

"No way." the Hyuga heiress scoffed.

"It's the truth." TenTen confirmed. "That's what I'm talking about, nobody should be able to withstand the things he can. I mean just earlier today I watched him pull a kunai out of his shoulder without even blinking."

"That's not natural." said Hinata simply.

"What's not natural?" Drake's voice made them both jump. The tall man was standing at the edge of the clearing, a large log held over his shoulder.

"We didn't need _that_ much firewood." TenTen said with a smile.

"I figured we could use this camp tomorrow night after the fight too." Drake stated simply, beginning to cut portions of wood with Snaga and pile them in the fire pit.

"Hinata-chan here doesn't believe my story of how you rescued me." TenTen said, forming a hand seal to ignite the wood.

"Which part?" Drake asked.

"The four-kunai-in-the-back part." TenTen replied. Drake turned away from the fire and took off his shirt. Hinata saw several scars on his back, four of which she recognized as kunai-wounds.

"I stand corrected." Hinata admitted. "You've been through a lot."

Drake chuckled and turned back around to put his shirt back on. Hinata gasped when she briefly caught sight of the vast multitude of scars covering his chest. She noted the still-healing kunai wound TenTen had mentioned on his shoulder. "I'm hard to kill." Drake said simply, reading her expression. "I get it from Druss." Hinata's eyebrow arched.

"Long story." TenTen shrugged.

"You two get some rest." Drake said simply, sitting with his back against a tree. "I'll keep watch."

"I'm not tired yet." TenTen said, pulling out the book Drake had given her. "Think I'll do some reading." Hinata laid down on her bedroll and let the sound of the fire lull her into a comfortable sleep.

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**SIX HOURS LATER**

The three of them entered the giant colosseum, Hinata gasping at the room's dimensions. They reached the railing, and Drake jumped down.

"Stay here Hinata." TenTen said, turning to face the Hyuga heiress. "Drake and I will need you after the fight."

Hinata nodded. "Be careful Ten-chan." she said quietly.

"I will." TenTen said over her shoulder, and jumped down into the arena. She landed beside Drake and the two of them began to walk toward the Altar. All the bones that had been piled on top of it by the Demon from Snaga were gone. In their place was a stone platform, about ten feet high and thirty feet across, with an Altar in the middle. Drake stopped about twenty feet from the platform.

"Go ahead." he said simply.

TenTen nodded and jumped up onto the platform. Lying on top of the Altar was an object, slightly curved, about five feet long, polished black, with ornately carved ivory sections on each end. A finely crafted leather strap was attached to the inside of the curve. She swung the scabbard onto her back, the strap fit perfectly. She reached back to draw the blades, feeling a shiver of excitement when her hands closed around the hilts. She pressed the stud in each hilt and drew the swords, and her breath caught in her throat when she finally saw them. They were katana-shaped, but without a cross guard, with runes running about half the length of the blade. The Sword of Night was a brilliant silver. The Sword of Day shone like polished gold. She just stood still for a moment, taking in the beauty of the weapons she held. These were the most perfect weapons she had ever seen. She shook her head to remember why she was here.

*_The Altar._*

There were two impressions in the side of the Altar, each in the shape of one of the swords. TenTen approached and moved to set the swords in the impressions. She stopped.

*_Don't do it..._* a voice hissed in her mind. TenTen knew what she had to do, but suddenly she didn't want to anymore. She had the Swords of Night and Day. The mission was a success. Why make things more difficult? She had the sudden urge to test the blades, to find someone, something to kill. Drake's warning about the swords echoed in her mind.

_They fill you with aggression and bloodlust, and it is addictive. They eat away at your personality._

*_He lied...._* the voice hissed again. *_Take us away from here.... we can help you._*

It took all of TenTen's willpower to release her grip on the ornate ivory handles. The swords dropped into the impressions, her head clearing instantly. The swords began to glow. TenTen stepped lightly off the platform, moving to stand beside Drake again.

"You alright?" the tall man asked, concern on his features.

"They're strong..." she said, a little out of breath. "It was hard to let go."

The glow left the platform, two clouds of light streaking down to land in front of the two ninja. The swords had disappeared. The two forms began to materialize, one noticeably smaller than the other. They slowly solidified, becoming more and more familiar. They finally finished, taking two forms Drake and TenTen recognized instantly.

"Tree and Shanks..." TenTen whispered in disbelief. The image of Tree spoke.

"It's been a while Dra..." One of Tree's knives appeared in its throat, another in the chest of the small girl.

"Don't fuck with me." Drake growled, his voice chilling.

The girl smiled and began to change, her grin splitting the flesh of her cheeks and filling with needle-like teeth. Her eyes elongated, pupils becoming slitted. White fur grew to cover her entire form, and a catlike tail lashed the air behind her. Her limbs lengthened, and she dropped to all fours. She lifted her hands and eight-inch metallic talons, the same golden color as the Sword of Day, erupted from the tips of her fingers. She tore the knife loose.

The boy's frame swelled and grew, the knife falling uselessly to the ground. Now eight feet tall, his frame became massively muscled. His mouth lengthened to that of a crocodile, lined with jagged teeth, and his skin erupted into black scales. The reptilian beast likewise lifted its hands, and it's fangs and talons were colored like the Sword of Night.

TenTen felt the scabbard on her back suddenly get heavier. She reached back and her hands found the hilts of the swords again. She drew the blades, sighing in relief when she didn't feel their influence in her mind. Drake hefted Snaga. The smaller Demon jumped up to crouch on the large one's shoulder.

"So which one of you wants to die first?" it asked, flexing its talons.

The larger Demon charged in, the smaller one circling behind Drake and TenTen in a blur. TenTen swung to stand back-to-back with Drake. She crossed her swords in front of her, deflecting the feline demon's talons. Drake stepped in to take the crocodile-faced Demon head on, Snaga cleaving it in half from shoulder to hip. The top half of the Demon disintegrated, thick black smoke pouring from its bottom half. The smoke slowly formed the shape of the missing half and solidified.

"Nice try." the Demon chuckled. "But that axe can't hurt me."

TenTen and Drake went on the offensive. TenTen swung her swords in a dazzling pattern, blades moving almost too fast for Hinata's eyes to follow. The Sword of Day cut in a murderous arc toward the cat-demon's chest, but bounced off harmlessly when it impacted.

"Silly girl..." the Demon giggled. "Why would I hurt myself?"

Drake hammered Snaga through the big demon again, this time severing an arm. The demon grunted in pain, but again, the smoke coiled out to replace what was lost. He moved to stand back-to-back with TenTen again. TenTen threw a pair of kunai into the feline demon's eyes. It pulled them out and its eyes reformed.

"Switch?" he asked simply.

TenTen nodded. They switched places, TenTen squaring off against the big demon, Drake against the smaller one. TenTen ducked the slash of the reptilian Demon's silver talons and lashed out with the Sword of Day again. Instead of bouncing off, as it had with the smaller one, the blade stabbed clean through the big demon's form. The tall demon roared in agony and stopped moving, transfixed. TenTen sheathed the Sword of Night and moved to unfurl her scroll, intent on finishing it off.

Drake's hand clamped on her shoulder and hauled her backwards, the smaller Demon's talons missed her throat by less than an inch. The Sword of Day was pulled free, still in TenTen's hand, and the big demon started to move again, falling to one knee and panting to catch its breath. The two ninja retreated, each defending themselves against the sweeping talons of their adversaries. TenTen was trying to make sense of what had happened. The big demon had been unable to move when she'd hit it with the Sword of Day, but the little one had been unaffected. Skilgannon's words suddenly echoed in her mind again.

*_The Night ends the Day... The Day ends the Night..._*

"They're only vulnerable when they're pierced by the opposite sword." TenTen thought aloud.

Drake looked down at the silver blades of Snaga. "Well fuck..." The cat-demon charged toward them, but leaped over and landed into the bleachers behind them, grinning down maliciously. The big demon bounded forward as well, but Snaga decapitated it before it could attack.

"We need to take out the quick one first." TenTen reasoned. "She'll keep me from hitting the big guy."

"Go get her." Drake said with a smile, linking his hands together to form a step. "I'll keep him busy."

TenTen stepped onto his hands and he catapulted her up over the railing after the cat-demon. She landed lightly and sheathed the Sword of Day, her opponent was some fifty feet away, glaring at the Sword of Night with contempt.

"You can't regenerate when you're pierced by this sword, can you?" TenTen asked, holding the Sword of Night up in front of her.

"Congratulations, you figured out the Damned's clue." the Demon scowled. "Want a medal? I'm still going to kill you."

"Don't tell me..." TenTen smirked, brandishing the sword. "Show me." The demon sprinted toward her. TenTen unfurled her scroll and a hail of kunai and shuriken flew out to engulf the Demon.

"You're going to have to do better than that." the Demon laughed, standing upright and pulling the weapons out one by one. TenTen smiled as a plan formed in her mind.

Drake jumped back, narrowly avoiding the Demon's silver talons. "Give up little man," the reptilian demon taunted him. "Your woman was right... without the Sword of Day you can't kill me."

"I can't kill you." Drake admitted, decapitating the demon again. "But I can cause you a whole world's worth of pain."

Oily black smoke emanated from the stump of its neck and the head reformed. Drake charged in and hammered Snaga into the beast's shoulder again. This time the demon grabbed the haft of the axe, holding it in place. The creature's other hand flashed out, and Drake had to release his hold on Snaga to avoid the attack. The crocodile-faced Demon laughed and wrenched Snaga clear, it's skin sizzling and burning where it was in contact with the axe.

"Let's see how you do without your weapon little man." it chuckled, hurling Snaga to embed in the wall some 200 paces behind it.

Drake threw off his coat and raised his fists, dropping into a fighting stance. "Let's go then." he said with a smirk. "I can beat on you until TenTen finishes with your sister."

The Demon roared and charged. Drake ducked under the swipe of the massive creature's talons and thundered an uppercut into its jaw, feeling bones snap under the force of the blow. The Demon staggered back, snapping its jaw back into place before rushing Drake again. Drake sidestepped, jumping on the creature's back as it rushed past him. His arms encircled its massive neck and twisted viciously. The Demon staggered again, twisting its head forcefully back around.

Drake jumped off its back and ducked under the sweep of its talons again. The beast's jaws flashed down as soon as the big man had dodged. Drake hissed in pain as he felt the beast's fangs lance into his shoulder, the reptilian demon lifted him off his feet. He kicked it in the stomach, bringing his other boot up as well to get the long knives contained therein. Shanks' knives lanced into the beast's eyes, each piercing deep into its head. The reptilian Demon involuntarily roared in pain, releasing its hold on Drake. Drake hit the ground and rolled, coming to his feet some ten feet from the beast.

*_Not good..._* he thought, feeling the blood beginning to soak the left side of his shirt. *_Hurry up TenTen._*

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TenTen threw a kunai toward the lithe demon. "This again?" It asked playfully, smiling as it held out a clawed hand to stop it. Just before it impacted there was a puff of smoke and the Demon's slitted eyes went wide in disbelief. The shining silver blade of the Sword of Night passed through the cat-demon's hand without any resistance and continued on to skewer it through the chest. The Demon stood, unable to move, staring in shock at the sword that had appeared from nowhere.

"Simple substitution." TenTen said calmly, twirling the kunai on her finger as she walked up.

"You bitch!" the demon snarled, unable to move.

"Here's something a little more complex." TenTen smirked as she pulled out two small scrolls, each rolled around an iron weight. She opened the scrolls and swung them each in a wide arc, unfurling them as they went. As the scrolls swept past the cat-demon, the weights swung wide behind it and sent the latter half of each scroll looping tightly around the Demon's still form.

"Ninja art: Fangs of the Twin Dragons!" TenTen formed a seal around the scrolls in her hands, and in a massive burst of smoke every weapon in the two scrolls was released. Each blade clove through the golden-clawed Demon's body to re-enter the opposing scroll on the other side. The smoke cleared and all was still for a moment, and then an ear-piercing screech filled the air as the Demon's body disintegrated, forming a shimmering golden cloud.

"Drake!" TenTen shouted, running back to the rail. "Do it!"

Drake heard TenTen's cry and threw the last pair of Tree's knives into the reptilian Demon's eyes. Using the time it bought him, he swept his power outward, sprinting toward where TenTen was in the stands above. He spotted Snaga protruding from the wall below her, some fifty paces from where he was. Forty... Twenty... The Demon suddenly appeared in front of him, swinging its talons in an effort to cave in Drake's ribs. The tall man threw himself backward, and grunted as he felt the talons slice the skin on his chest. The Demon's face twisted menacingly.

"Not quite little man..." it said, it's voice dripping malice. "You'll die before I let you get that back."

"Aww..." Drake goaded, ignoring the pain from his shoulder and chest. "...are we angry that our little sister is gone?"

"I'll flay you alive!" The demon roared, swinging its talons at Drake's head from either side. Drake ducked under the swing of its talons and threw a two-fisted punch as hard as he could into the Demon's chest. The Demon flew backwards through the air. It stopped abruptly, the golden point of the Sword of Day bursting from its chest in a spray of blood. Drake smiled and began to walk calmly to where the Demon stood, his left arm limp at his side.

"Took you long enough." he muttered. TenTen appeared behind the massive Demon, her hands on the hilt of the golden sword. Drake held out his right hand, palm open, and Snaga tore itself from the wall to fly straight into his grip.

"Curse you both!" the Demon coughed, oily black blood seeping from its mouth.

"You lose." Drake said simply, and Snaga beheaded the reptilian creature with one stroke. The Demon screeched as its very essence was destroyed by the tall man's power. After the last traces of the Demon were gone, Drake swayed unsteadily on his feet. TenTen caught him as he fell, wrapping her arms around him gently.

"We did it." he said with a smile, his face pale.

"We did it." she nodded.

Hinata appeared next to them, looking concerned. "Are you alright?" she asked.

"That was fun." Drake admitted with a grin. TenTen's eyes were drawn to the blood soaking through his clothes.

"Take off his shirt." Hinata said simply, a green glow encompassing her hand.

Four long slashes ran across Drake's chest, and blood was seeping from a ring of deep puncture wounds across his left shoulder. Hinata worked to stop the bleeding, then slowly closed each of the wounds. The feeling returned to Drake's arm, and he flexed it experimentally.

She moved to work on the bruising on his ribs but he waved her away. "I'll heal." he said simply, the color returning to his face. "Thank you Hinata-sama."

"You're welcome." she nodded.

"Let's go home." TenTen said with a grin.

The three of them decided to travel through the night to get home, rather than staying in the woods again. Shortly after sunrise, they were approaching the village. As the gates came into view, Hinata activated her Byakugan. She scanned the entrance of the village.

"Something's wrong." she said, her voice filled with concern. "The guards are gone."

"I'll go in first." Drake said simply.

"I'm coming too." TenTen said in a tone that wouldn't allow argument.

They walked side-by-side into the gate, Hinata a short distance behind, the whole scene eerily silent. There was muffled cry behind them and they both spun, hands on their weapons. Hinata was gone. They turned back to the village, coming face-to-face with the impassive masks of twenty ANBU. Toward the back, one of them had Hinata's unconscious form draped over their shoulder.

"The two of you are under arrest for the murder of Kota Hyuga." the lead ANBU said, his tone angry. One of the ANBU suddenly grabbed TenTen, roughly hauling her away.

"Don't touch her!" Drake's fist cannoned into the ANBU's face, shattering the mask and sending him to the ground unconscious. The tall man stood defiantly in front of TenTen, shielding her from the remaining ANBU, who spread to encircle them.

TenTen saw a pair of throwing needles embed themselves in the back of Drake's neck. The tall man hissed in pain and shook his head to try and stay conscious. The circle closed in around the two of them. Two other pairs of arms grabbed her, hauling her out of the circle, as the rest of the ANBU converged around Drake. The tall man knocked another ANBU sprawling, then another, then another. TenTen saw another pair of needles materialize in his leg, forcing him down to one knee. The remaining ANBU surged inward, punching and kicking. Drake sent another three flying, but they forced him to the ground.

TenTen screamed his name, and he surged to his feet again, knocking the ANBU back briefly. Drake and TenTen locked eyes for one fleeting moment. There was pain in his eyes, and she could read the meaning behind them.

*_I told you so_*

The ANBU surged in and forced him to the ground again, kicking and stomping. TenTen saw Drake's form go limp when one of the ANBU operatives landed a kick to his temple, but the beating continued. One of them eventually crouched down to tie a seal around the big man's forehead. Then something stung the back of her neck and everything faded to black.

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	18. from an enemy,

zeroharm: If two chapters in a row makes it christmas... what does a third do?

eva24: Cliffhangers make me a tease huh? Interesting...

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TenTen felt the tears coming again. It had been two days since they had been taken by the ANBU, and Drake still had yet to wake up. Her eyes drifted back across the walkway to his cell.

The big man was on his knees. His wrists were chained to the wall, arms spread to ensure he couldn't remove the numerous seals tied around his forehead. He'd been stripped of all his gear, clad only in his cargo pants and boots. Angry purple bruises marred all his visible skin, and several of his wounds from the fight with the demons had re-opened. She fought not to cry. Everything had been going so well. After fighting the Demons she'd felt so exultant, almost invincible, and then this had to happen.

She hugged her knees close to her chest. She was the reason for all of this. She was why he had stayed. If he hadn't stayed, this would never have happened. He'd saved her from the Sound-nin, he'd saved her from the Demon from the axe, he'd saved her from the Demons from the swords, he'd even fought twenty _ANBU_ for her. And what good had it done him? Here he was, locked in a prison cell, beaten to within an inch of his life, probably awaiting execution. She had told him Konoha would be different.

"We won't treat you like that." she'd told him.

"I believe you... It's the rest of the village I'm worried about." he'd replied.

Apparently he'd been right... and she was the one who had convinced him to stay. She felt the tears flowing down her cheeks again. It was her fault. TenTen curled into a ball and slowly cried herself to sleep.

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Drake heard TenTen's breathing deepen and her sobs stop and opened his eyes. He'd awoken a few hours ago and heard her crying. He couldn't bring himself to face her, not when he'd dragged her into all of this. His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of someone approaching.

"_Did_ you kill the boy?" Tsunade asked him, coming to a stop on the other side of the bars.

"No." he replied simply. "TenTen and I fought them off, he was hurt, the others left him. We took him to the hospital, then came to class." Tsunade was silent. "Then we went on the mission..." Drake continued, his voice becoming angry. "Everything went well, and then you threw us that _delightful_ homecoming party."

"Hiashi went over my head. I had no part in this!" Tsunade said, her tone slightly angry.

"You're the fucking _Hokage_." Drake snapped, his voice dripping scorn. "How the hell do you manage your village if clans can just _go over your head_?" Tsunade felt anger threatening to overwhelm her, but Drake spoke again before she could reply. "You know..." The tall man admitted, his voice sounding bitter. "For a while there, you and the others actually had me convinced that things would be different here. Guess this is what I get for letting my guard down."

Tsunade's anger left her immediately to be replaced with shame. Konoha had just become exactly like every other place he'd tried to stay. Konoha... _Her_ village... He had every right to be angry.

"I'm sorry..." she muttered sadly. "Is there anything you need?"

"Do me one favor," Drake requested calmly, his gaze having fallen to the floor.

"What?"

"Get TenTen out." he said simply. "She shouldn't be in here. Hiashi isn't after her."

"Alright." Tsunade agreed, ordering the ANBU to unlock TenTen's cell. Moments later she emerged with the sleeping girl in her arms. She moved to leave, but stopped and looked over her shoulder. "I really am sorry."

"Well that makes everything all better then doesn't it?" Drake snapped angrily.

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Drake was in a horrible mood. 'Horrible' being the biggest understatement ever. It had been three days since he'd talked to Tsunade, he still regretted what he had said. To top it all off, he'd just finished another session with the man called "Ibiki", who, if nothing else, succeeded at keeping him angry. Ibiki would just show up and talk to him, in an infuriatingly calm tone, and try to get him to admit to things, things he hadn't done.

Drake heard the door to the cell open and looked up into the one single face he wanted to see less than Ibiki's. Hiashi walked into the cell, his face calm. Two men followed him, each of them nearly Drake's size and massively muscular.

*_Hired muscle_* Drake thought irritably, pushing himself to his feet, arms still spread by the chains.

"Leave us." Hiashi ordered. The masked and hooded ANBU locked the cell door and strolled away, out of earshot.

"What the hell do you want?" he asked Hiashi.

"Oh, just stopping by to see if you wanted to ask forgiveness." Hiashi said amiably. "I'm sure the council would lessen your sentence if you just admitted to it."

"You're enjoying this way too much." Drake said, his tone neutral.

"I enjoy myself wherever the opportunity presents itself." Hiashi admitted.

"Did you enjoy killing the boy too?" Drake asked venomously.

"No." Hiashi's face turned somber. "Kota-kun's death was... a necessary sacrifice, nothing more."

"You honestly believe that?"

"All leaders make sacrifices to ensure the security of the ones they lead." Hiashi said simply.

"So says the man who was supposed to ensure the boy's security." the chained man said icily. "I must say, killing has never struck me as a good way to protect someone."

"I don't need to justify myself to you." the white-eyed man said, lifting a hand to snap his fingers. The two goons rushed in and began to thunder punches into Drake's body. With his arms chained, all the big man could do was take the beating. After about ten minutes, the beating ceased, and one of the thugs stepped in close to Drake.

"Not so tough now that you're chained up, are you?" the man taunted. Drake smiled and leaned back onto the wall. The goon took the bait, stepping closer just as Drake's head snapped forward, smashing the man's nose. The man fell back, hands trying to stem the flow of blood from his ruined nose.

"Bastard!" his compatriot snarled, slamming an uppercut into Drake's chin. Drake's head slammed into the wall behind him and stars swam in his vision. The chained man felt punches raining against his ribs again. He waited until the second one fell into a pattern and his knee shot out, taking the man in the groin and doubling him over. Another kick sent him into the bars on the far side of the cell.

"You aren't proving anything." Hiashi said simply.

"And you are?" Drake asked simply.

"You won't get out by hurting my men."

"If I wanted out..." Drake muttered angrily, the muscles in his arms flexing. The chains snapped. "I'd _be_ out."

Hiashi's calm facade crumbled and he took a step backwards in an attempt to keep a distance between himself and Drake. Drake made no move to close the distance, leaning back against the wall and crossing his arms, trying desperately to hide the fact that his head was spinning.

"ANBU-san." he called pleasantly. "We're done here." Hiashi glared at him as the ANBU returned to unlock the cell door. The two thugs slowly got back to their feet and exited the cell muttering that they'd be back. "Bring your friends next time!" he called after theor retreating forms. "Two of you isn't even a challenge!"

Drake managed to hold on until the sound of the footsteps faded away before his legs gave out. Instead of the floor, he felt a pair of slender arms catch him and lower him gently. He looked up into the impassive mask of the ANBU assigned to guard his cell.

"Lie still." a feminine voice stated, slightly muffled by the mask. A green glow enveloped the ANBU's hand as it was held to Drake's forehead. "You have a concussion." The ANBU stated in an impassive voice. "Try to contain your power." Drake complied, focusing as best he could to shrink his power's effect. Another wave of nausea hit him, and he fought to stay conscious. A couple minutes passed, and the green glow faded from the ANBU's hand. "There." the voice behind the mask stated as Drake's head cleared. "You should be alright now."

Fatigue settled on him like a cloak. "Why are you doing this?" he asked the mysterious ANBU. "Shouldn't you be stomping on my hands or something?"

The ANBU lifted a hand to remove her mask, and just before passing out, Drake found himself staring into a familiar set of blue eyes.

"Because you still have friends." Ino said with a smile.

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**TWO HOURS LATER**

Drake groaned as he regained consciousness, the pain of his run-in with Hiashi's goons rushing back to him all at once.

"Welcome back." Ino said with a smile.

"I...no?" Drake formed the name slowly as he sat up.

"You've looked better." she said, calmly sitting down next to him and offering him a food pill.

"That a compliment?" he asked sleepily.

"I've fixed all your internal injuries." Ino dodged the question. "The bruises have to heal on their own."

"Or else they'll know you helped me." Drake reasoned. "What the hell are you doing here Ino? Won't you get in massive trouble for this?"

"We're trying to get you out." the blonde girl explained. "Tsunade-sama gave me guard duty today so I could talk to you."

"Who's 'we'?" The big man asked.

"TenTen, Tsunade-sama, Kakashi, me, Hinata, Neji, Naruto, Sakura, Lee..." Ino continued listing names. Drake noticed that every person he'd sparred with was on the list. He shook his head in disbelief. "I told you, you've made a lot of friends." she said with a smile. "You didn't honestly think we'd just leave you down here did you?"

He looked at the floor, refusing to make eye contact, and her smile faded.

"You did?" she asked sadly, voice barely over a whisper.

"It's happened to me before." Drake said simply. Ino was silent. "So what happened?" the big man asked, changing the subject. "All I know is Hiashi went over Tsunade's head."

"Hiashi stormed into the council chamber the morning after you guys left, ranting that one of the Hyuga had died from injuries inflicted by you, and demanding you be 'brought to justice.'" Drake listened quietly. "Hiashi has about half the council, including the elders, bought and paid for. They all readily supported it. Naruto and Tsunade-sama opposed it, but the rest of the council only got to hear Hiashi's version of the story. So, the majority vote was to arrest you."

"Naturally." Drake muttered.

"So we need evidence that Hiashi is lying." the blonde girl hesitated. "I hate to ask this... but..."

"You need to jump inside my head again?" Drake guessed.

"Not me." She explained. "My father."

"Why not you?" Drake asked, confused.

"I'm one of your friends." she said simply. "They would say I was biased."

"As opposed to Hiashi?" the bruised man asked, sarcasm heavy in his voice.

"My father is head of the Yamanaka family." Ino explained, "He's _on_ the council. His testimony would be much harder to disregard."

"Alright." Drake agreed. "When?"

"A few days at least." she paused, scratching her chin. "He's going to volunteer to procure your confession for the council or something when they reconvene to discuss your punishment."

"Alright." the tall man agreed. "What is my punishment, assuming this all goes badly?"

"Either death or life in here." Ino said simply. "We'll break you out if it comes to that."

"Gee, thanks." he muttered.

"Just stay in one piece until then." Ino said simply, binding his hands behind his back again.

"I'll try." he said simply.

Across town later that night, in the Konoha morgue, two puffs of smoke heralded the arrival of two kunoichi. The two of them slowly crept through the quiet building, careful not to disturb the nighttime security.

"You do realize our breaking in like this means this can't be used as evidence." Sakura stated. "At least not by us."

"I need to know." Hinata said as they slowly eased their way to where Kota Hyuga's body was being stored. He was due to be cremated the next day. They opened the door and rolled out the slab upon which the young Hyuga rested. Sakura read the clipboard attached to the slab.

"No autopsy." she stated simply. "By request of Hiashi Hyuga." A green glow surrounded her hand, and she held it to the body's chest. "The injuries he got from Drake-san were mostly healed. They're all superficial. Nothing here could have killed him." Sakura paused. "I don't get it."

"I have a hunch." Hinata said sadly, activating her Byakugan and placing two fingers on the boy's chest, right above his heart.

"What are you doing?" Sakura asked.

"Channeling my chakra into his chakra circulatory system with my Jyuuken." she explained. "So I can examine it."

"I didn't know you could do that." Sakura stated in wonder.

"Only a Hyuga medic." Hinata said, faking a smile. This continued for a few minutes, and Sakura saw a tear slide down Hinata's cheek.

"What is it?" the pink-haired medic-nin asked.

"His chakra system has been completely fried. Starting from here." she said, her other hand moving to his forehead.

"Does that mean what I think it does?" Sakura asked. Hinata nodded.

"There's no way Drake did this." she said, tears falling freely now. "This boy was killed with the curse-seal."

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**ONE WEEK LATER**

Drake was stirred from his meditation by the sound of his cell being unlocked.

Hiashi's thugs had been coming back on a daily basis to keep him coated in a fresh layer of bruises. There were four of them now, and his ANBU cell guard always seemed to be conveniently distracted. He always sent them off with their tails between their legs, but he usually ended up taking quite a beating before he could do so. He looked up expecting to see the men who Hiashi had hired, instead finding himself face-to-face with a stranger. The man was tall, with long blond hair held back in a ponytail, he wore a red sleeveless coat over a standard Konoha vest.

"I must say you're much more intimidating up close." the man said with a grin.

"I get that a lot." Drake admitted.

The blond man extended his hand toward Drake. "Inoichi Yamanaka."

Drake tensed his muscles and the shackles snapped. "Drake." he said pleasantly, shaking the offered hand.

The blond man laughed, a deep belly laugh. "So they didn't exaggerate. You _could_ escape if you wanted to." Drake shrugged.

"Why haven't you?"

Drake shrugged again. "That'd imply I had something to run from."

"True." the blonde man agreed.

"Let's get to it then shall we?" Drake said.

"Alright." Inoichi agreed. "Though you should probably sit down."

Drake sat cross-legged, and the older man took up a seated position opposite him. Inoichi's hands formed an open seal, with the man's eyes peering through it to lock with Drake's.

"Are you ready?" the older man asked. Drake took a deep breath and nodded. "Shintenshin no Jutsu!"

Drake gasped. With Ino, it had just felt like he was sharing his mind with someone else. This felt as though he'd been locked in a cage and his mind was being pried open and rummaged through like a file cabinet. All of Drake's recent memories flashed before his eyes. Fighting the mob. Taking Kota to the hospital. Teaching the kids. The mission to get TenTen her swords. The return to Konoha. Fighting the ANBU. Waking up in prison. Talking to Tsunade. Talking to Hiashi. Visits from Ibiki. Talking to Ino. The constant beatings.

Drake almost lost control of his power when he relived fighting the ANBU, but reined it in at the last moment. The blond man continued examining his mind with cold calculating precision. Everything he'd ever thought or felt or been was laid bare as Inoichi probed his mind. Eventually, Drake felt the feeling of his body return and slumped to the ground as the man sitting opposite of him opened his eyes.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

"You're much more... powerful... than your daughter." Drake muttered, rubbing his temples. "Ow."

"There is no duplicity in you." Inoichi said with an approving look. "I can see why Ino is so fond of you."

"Dad!" the ANBU guarding the cell snapped angrily. "Shut up!"

"Oh sorry," The man laughed. "Didn't realize that was you dear."

Drake regarded Ino with a smirk. "Get what you needed?" he asked, turning back to the blond man.

Inoichi nodded. "Your conversation with Hiashi should be all the evidence we need." he said simply. "Although your memories of the night Kota died will help too. I'll show them to the council tomorrow."

"Thank you." Drake said wholeheartedly.

"Don't thank me..." the tall man gestured toward his daughter. "Thank her. She and TenTen have been fighting tooth and nail to get you released. She's the one who convinced me to help." Drake turned to Ino again, who shifted her weight uncomfortably.

"What?" she asked irritably.

"Nothing." he muttered with a smirk.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Drake's eyes shot open when he heard the cell door open. Today was the day Inoichi was supposed to show the council what had happened. Drake cursed his luck as he saw the dark silhouette of Ibiki entering instead.

"Leave us." the interrogation specialist ordered the ANBU guard. The guard bowed swiftly and disappeared in a swirl of leaves. The interrogator moved to where Drake laid on the ground, squatting down to make eye contact. "You look terrible sensei." Ibiki whispered, his voice suddenly changing to one Drake recognized.

"Toji?" Drake whispered, levering himself into a sitting position. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"Easy sensei, don't want them to hear us." the image of Ibiki said, "Besides, it's Friday. _You're_ the one who didn't shown up for class in two weeks."

Drake chuckled at the boy's logic. "Alright, you got me there. How did you get in here?"

"I said I sucked at taijutsu," the big man with the little voice explained. "I'm pretty good with transformations."

"Apparently." muttered Drake, snapping his shackles.

"I have a message..." the boy said simply. "From Tsunade-sama."

Drake listened intently to the plan, a smile forming on his features as they reached the end.

"Got it?" the boy asked, once more using Ibiki's voice.

"Got it." Drake nodded.

The ANBU guard saw Ibiki leave the cell and locked the door again. Ibiki waved to the ANBU to walk away from the cell. "Leave that one alone for a few days." Ibiki whispered sternly. "No guard, no visitors. I want to see if a few days of absolute silence will rattle him enough to loosen his tongue."

"Yes sir." the ANBU bowed and disappeared. Toji smiled and walked out of the building.

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**THIRTY MINUTES LATER**

The council chamber was deathly silent. The leader of the Yamanaka family had just finished showing Drake's memories to the council, and all eyes were on Hiashi.

"Hiashi Hyuga, you are under arrest for the murder of Kota Hyuga." Tsunade finally said, breaking the silence. Two ANBU appeared behind Hiashi, restraining his arms.

"Get him out of here." the Hokage ordered.

"I am a clan leader!" Hiashi said defiantly, resisting the ANBU's attempts to remove him. "I demand my right to Trial by Combat."

The room went silent. There hadn't been a Trial by Combat in years. The fights were always brutal, as they were only initiated by someone confident enough to throw out an open challenge. On top of that, nobody relished the concept of fighting Hiashi. Even at his age, he still had a reputation as one of the most skilled and ruthless fighters in the village.

"None of you think you can handle me?" Hiashi sneered after about five minutes of silence.

"That's enough!" Tsunade's voice rang out. "The council will re-convene in three hours to decide upon an opponent."

"No need..." a familiar voice said from the doorway. All eyes in the room spun to regard the source of the sound. Leaning on the doorframe, battered and bruised, was a form that made Hiashi's eyes widen in disbelief and no small amount of fear. "_I'll_ fight him." Drake said with a smile.

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	19. either fight,

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Drake smiled as the procession made their way toward the Arena. Tsunade's message had been simple:

"Get to the council chambers, we may need you."

The rest had been instructions on how to get out of the prison without disturbing the guards. Apparently, she'd known Hiashi would pull this 'Trial by Combat' card to try and weasel his way out of this. When Drake had arrived, they'd put him in shackles again, since he had _technically_ broken out of jail. However, Tsunade had ordered them to escort him to the arena instead of back to jail.

They were moving at a leisurely pace, and word spread through the village of what was going on. All over the village, people dropped what they were doing and rushed to the arena, intent on seeing the fight. He smiled. Finally he'd be able to beat the living hell out of Hiashi, in front of the whole village no less. He'd been looking forward to this day for a long time.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Drake and Hiashi were led to the bottom of the arena, and their shackles taken off.

"Without your power..." Hiashi goaded, rubbing his wrists where the shackles had been, "...you are nothing."

Drake said nothing. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his headband. He tied the seal around his forehead.

"Then I'll kick your ass without it." Drake said coldly, "That'll make you less than nothing."

"Drake!" he heard a voice call from the stands.

He looked up to see TenTen toss something down to him. He caught it, and smiled, fastening his forehead-protector in place over his seal.

"You have no right to wear that." Hiashi growled.

"Where's yours then?" Drake asked simply. Anger crossed Hiashi's features momentarily.

"We are gathered here for the trial by combat of Hiashi Hyuga and Drake." Tsunade's voice rang out. "The last man standing will be innocent of all charges, the loser will be found guilty."

Drake glared at Hiashi. Hiashi glared back with equal intensity.

"Begin!" The Hokage's voice shouted.

Hiashi appeared next to Drake, hand open, glowing with chakra. The hand flew toward the big man's chest. Drake sidestepped, barely avoiding the hit, and thundered a punch into the smaller man's shoulder. A loud cheer erupted from the audience. Hiashi was knocked back a few feet, but kept his balance. Drake cursed under his breath. The time in prison had obviously taken its toll. His various injuries were slowing him down and robbing his punches of their usual power.

Hiashi went on the offensive, and Drake struggled to keep up with the smaller man's attacks. Hiashi landed his first hit moments later. The clan leader feinted high, and when Drake's guard came up, he slammed a palm into the big man's side. Drake felt an agonizing pain shoot through his side, cramping a few muscles. Another massive cheer sounded from the people in the stands.

"Without your power, I'll take you apart one piece at a time." Hiashi taunted him, jumping back to stand about ten feet away.

"Big words from a man who kills children in their sleep." Drake growled. Hiashi dropped into a different stance.

"Eight Trigrams: Sixty four pa..." Drake's fist cannoned into his jaw, sending him flying back to land in a heap. Hiashi stood up shakily, he reached into a pocket and popped a pair of soldier pills into his mouth. They rushed each other again. Drake swung and missed. Hiashi landed two more hits to the big man's torso, breaking two of his ribs. Drake coughed out a mouthful of blood. Hiashi's hits weren't just hitting his chest, they were hitting his organs. He was starting to have trouble breathing, and his heart was hammering in his chest. He rushed toward Hiashi, who dropped into a lower stance. Just as the big man reached him, Hiashi spun rapidly, forming a dome of chakra.

"Kaiten!" the older man's voice called out. Drake was thrown backwards twenty feet to land on his back, grunting in pain as the impact jarred the broken ribs in his side. The older man swept out an arm, the sleeve covering his hand. A hail of throwing needles swept toward Drake. The tall man brought his arms up, protecting his head and neck, and hissed in pain as he felt the needles sink into his forearms. Drake pulled the needles from his arms and took his stance again.

Hiashi rushed toward him again, but the tall man managed to dodge the swings. He thundered a punch into Hiashi's stomach, only to have Hiashi disappear with a puff of smoke, replaced by a log. He heard motion behind him and swung around, narrowly avoiding another hit to the ribs. Hiashi jumped back to stand some twenty feet away. Drake grabbed the log with one hand and hurled it toward the smaller man, using the diversion to rush toward him. Hiashi sidestepped and moved to hold his palm open, other hand beneath it. The air in his palm seemed to swirl and blur. "Eight Trigrams: Air Palm!" the older man shouted. The super-accelerated column of air connected with Drake's chest and he felt a few more ribs crack. He was hurled back again, but landed on his feet. Hiashi suddenly disappeared. Reappearing next to the big man, he threw another chakra infused blow. Drake jumped backwards and threw up his arms to block it. Hiashi veered the swing lower and it impacted squarely on the big man's knee, raised from his jump.

As Drake landed, his weight came down on the knee, and it gave out. The big man fell to his knees with a grunt of pain, and suddenly noticing a numbness emanating from the knee, blanketing the pain. "What the...?" he asked aloud.

"Chakra poison." Hiashi said with a smirk. "It was on the needles. It only takes effect after contact with concentrated chakra."

Drake felt the numbness slowly, ever so slowly, creeping up his leg. "So you're going to kill me?" the big man asked simply, his voice emotionless. By now he'd lost all feeling in his left leg, and felt the poison spreading higher.

Hiashi nodded and slowly walked up to the immobilized man. "I'd sooner go to jail with you dead than let you have your way and destroy my clan." Hiashi snarled.

"I don't give a damn about your clan." Drake muttered, anger threatening to completely overwhelm him.

"Then you want to destroy the entire village!" Hiashi concluded, throwing another chakra-infused blow at Drake's chest. Drake saw red, all pain forgotten in the face of his sudden rage. He caught the hand inches from his sternum and twisted it viciously. An audible crack reached the ears of all those assembled and Hiashi cried out in pain. Drake didn't let go.

"All I want is a _home_!" the tall man roared, his voice carrying to the audience as he surged back to his feet. His fist cannoned into Hiashi's stomach and lifted him about two feet off the ground. "Somewhere to _sleep_!" Another punch thundered into the older man's abdomen, lifting him again before he could touch the ground. "Somewhere to live!" Another punch slammed into Hiashi's ribs, again lifting him. "Without constantly looking over my shoulder!" Another punch to the ribs. "Somewhere I can trust the people around me!" Another to the stomach. "And I thought I'd found it!" Another to the ribs. The punches stopped and the older man finally began to fall. Drake's hand clamped around his throat and he hauled the smaller man closer, bringing him to eye level and keeping him from touching the ground. His eyes narrowed, their hatred matching that in the white eyes of his opponent.

"But then _you_ had to take it all away." Drake's other fist wound up, ready to deliver the blow that would crush Hiashi's skull. The bruises on his arm disappeared, fading in a matter of seconds. He felt the bruises coating his body heal as well, and the feeling returned to his leg.

"Monster." Hiashi sneered weakly, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. "...Do it." It took all of Drake's willpower to resist throwing the punch. His vision slowly cleared. "You've already taken everything else from me." the white-eyed man muttered, "Now kill me and..." Drake's forehead slammed into Hiashi's with thunderous force, the metal of his headband amplifying the force of the blow.

"Just shut up..." Drake mumbled, dropping Hiashi to land in a painful heap.

He looked up to the assembled audience and saw terror in the people's eyes. They were afraid of him. The fight had barely lasted five minutes and Hiashi was almost dead. His knee buckled and he fell to his knees again as Tsunade appeared beside him.

"Nice touch." she said with a smirk, noticing the clan-leader's latest wound. The reverse of the Konoha symbol had been cut into Hiashi's forehead by the last hit. Drake didn't notice. Hiashi tried to rise, but fell back, coughing up blood.

"The Trial by Combat is over!" Tsunade's voice boomed out. "Get them to the hospital!"

A pair of medics ran in with a stretcher to take Hiashi to the hospital, another pair moved to assist Drake, but hesitated when they were about five feet away. Tsunade walked over to the stretcher and glared down at the white-eyed man.

"Hiashi Hyuga," she addressed the injured man. "You are hereby found guilty of the murder of Kota Hyuga, as well as the repeated attempted murder of your opponent Drake." Hiashi groaned weakly and stopped moving, the defiance thoroughly beaten out of him. "Your sentence will be dispensed as soon as you're out of surgery." she said with a scowl, walking back to stand next to the younger man. "Drake..." she made sure the entire audience could hear her. "You are hereby cleared of all charges. I'm sorry we ever doubted you."

The big man didn't hear her. He was fighting to keep conscious. Reaching out an arm to keep himself upright, he felt fatigue overwhelming him. "You did well." he heard Tsunade's voice say from far away. He tried to nod, but his body would no longer respond. He held on for a few seconds, then slumped to the ground and lost consciousness. Only then did the medics approach him.

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	20. or surrender

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Drake woke with a groan, pain coming back in a rush. His body felt like his muscles were overworked, except it hurt everywhere, not just the muscles. He slowly sat up and opened his eyes, his abs protesting as he did so, taking in the drab ceiling of a room in the Konoha Hospital. He looked down at his body, expecting to see all the bruises that were so sore. There were none. He stretched experimentally. No muscle pains either, just a soreness through every fiber of his being. He looked around the room, eyes finally coming to rest on TenTen, her hair down, sleeping in the hospital bed next to his.

"She's fine." a familiar voice spoke from the doorway as panic crossed his features. "We just brought in a bed so she wouldn't end up sleeping in a chair again."

"Hokage-sama." Drake bowed. "How long was I out?"

"Three days." Tsunade supplied.

"Why so long?" he asked.

"I'll explain in a little while," she told him, moving to leave. "If you'll excuse me, I need to go check on Hiashi. If he's conscious, it's time he heads to his new home."

She turned to leave, and intentionally shut the door a little too hard. The sound reverberated through the wall, and TenTen started to stir. Drake stood and walked over to her bed. Her eyes fluttered open blearily, widening instantly when they saw him.

"Drake!" She jumped up and hugged him tightly. He caught her, his arms wrapping gently around her back. "I'm so glad you're okay," she said, her eyes tearing up. She buried her face in his shirt and started to cry. She'd been holding it back since he'd gotten her out of the jail cell, but now that he was here, she just couldn't any longer. So she cried. Drake stroked her hair and held her close. "I'm sorry for all of this."

"It's not your fault TenTen." he whispered, "I knew it'd happen sooner or later."

"Why did it have to happen?" She sobbed into his chest. "Things were supposed to be different here."

"It _always_ happens." he said softly. "I'm sorry you got dragged into it."

"Don't you apologize either." she scolded him, sadness briefly forgotten. "It's not your fault you are what you are." He smiled down at her. The tears came back, and he held her until she calmed down. "I should be stronger than this," she muttered angrily. "Look at me, crying like a little girl."

"Shush." he silenced her. "I've seen you kill demons that'd make most shinobi piss themselves. Any stronger and _you'd_ freak _me_ out."

She giggled and looked up at him.

"That's better." he said, his thumbs gently wiping away her tears. He paused before speaking again. "I'm still here." he said gently. "So no more tears." She nodded and squeezed him tighter. They stayed like this for a while, just enjoying each other's presence. There was a knock on the door.

"Come in." Drake said simply, releasing TenTen and moving to sit on his bed.

Tsunade opened the door and stepped in, closing it behind her. "Drake, TenTen."

"Hokage-sama." they both returned the greeting. TenTen moved to sit next to Drake, and his arm wrapped around her waist protectively.

"How are you feeling?" she asked, sitting on the other bed.

"I'm fine." he stated a little too quickly. "How's Hiashi?"

"Just regained consciousness." Tsunade said simply. "You almost killed him you know."

"I was a bit angry..." Drake admitted sheepishly.

"So you healed him?" TenTen asked, disappointment creeping into her voice.

Tsunade nodded. "We healed the damage to his ribs and organs, the broken hand and your last little touch..." she pointed to her forehead. "...we left alone."

"So if ever he looks in a mirror he'll remember where his loyalty should have been." TenTen reasoned.

"As is appropriate." Tsunade nodded.

"How badly did I beat him up?" Drake asked, "I was kind of seeing red for that last part."

"Sternum shattered, every rib broken at least once, and a few of his organs ruptured." she said with a smirk. "Remind me not to get on your bad side."

"It's hard to do..." Drake muttered. "Hiashi had a knack for it."

"He won't be giving either of you any more trouble." she said simply. An uncomfortable silence formed.

"You took care of the poison?" Drake asked, changing the subject.

"We... didn't need to." Tsunade answered hesitantly. "That's something I wanted to talk to you about."

"I don't understand." the tall man admitted, confused.

"Your body healed itself, and somehow neutralized the poison." she explained. "We just set your ribs and fixed your knee."

"I remember the bruises fading, but I thought I was seeing things." Drake muttered.

Tsunade shook her head. "You were almost completely healed in the course of a few seconds."

"How is that possible?" TenTen asked.

"I have a theory." Tsunade admitted. "I had come up with it after all the tests I put you through. I'm fairly certain now."

"What is your theory?" Drake asked.

"Do you know what chakra is made up of?" the blonde woman asked him.

"I don't." Drake admitted.

"TenTen?" Tsunade raised her eyebrow.

"Chakra is a mix of physical and spiritual energy." TenTen explained.

"Correct." the older woman nodded.

"Alright... so?" the big man asked.

"I think your power prevents you from making any spiritual energy," Tsunade explained, "Your body compensates by producing far more physical energy than normal."

"What does that mean?" Drake asked.

"Your strength, stamina, healing, resistance to toxins and disease, all of them are significantly greater than those of any normal human." she said simply.

Drake winced at her use of the word 'normal'. TenTen squeezed his arm reassuringly. "What aren't you telling us?" she asked, scrutinizing Tsunade's face.

"Your body's processes are apparently capable of accelerating briefly, like when your bruises disappeared." she paused, "...but this will take a toll on your body." Drake arched an eyebrow. "Basically, whenever your body is pushed to its limit to keep you alive," she paused, "Like it was in the fight against Hiashi, or the demons, or when you saved TenTen..." Another pause. "Your lifespan will shorten."

TenTen gasped.

"I'd say you lost somewhere around six months for how much energy you burned up at the end of your fight with Hiashi...." she explained.

Drake's eyes fell to the floor. "You can guess that?" he asked simply.

"I've done all the calculations before..." she explained simply, "...for myself."

"What?" TenTen and Drake asked in unison.

"I'll bet you anything your entire body is sore." Tsunade told the big man. "Even though there isn't a single mark on you. Just a dull throb through your entire body."

"How did you know that?" he asked, confirming her suspicions.

"Have you ever wondered what this is for?" she pointed to the blue diamond-mark on her forehead. The two younger ninja nodded. "I devised a jutsu to regenerate my body like you did in the fight." she told them solemnly. "It takes an immense amount of chakra though. Every day, I store my unused chakra in this seal to build it up in case I ever need to power the jutsu." They nodded again, comprehending. "I've only used it twice," she continued. "but when I did, each fight cost me about ten years of my life."

"Ten years?" Drake said in disbelief.

"I may not look it," Tsunade said with a smile she obviously didn't feel. "But I've only got about ten years left... fifteen if I'm extremely lucky." She paused before continuing. "My jutsu is much more powerful than what you can apparently do." she said simply. "You healed your bruises, and a few other superficial injuries. I can heal anything. Anyway, enough of that..." the blonde woman said simply, "You'll be sore for a few more days. Once you're back on your feet the council want to see you."

"Alright." Drake said dejectedly.

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Three days later, Drake was going stir crazy as he lay on his couch.

For two days he'd been under doctor's orders not to do anything strenuous, and then today he'd finally gotten to meet with the council.

*_Ugh..._* he thought, trying not to remember. It had been a joke. They had given him a formal apology and the rest of the week off. _That_ was supposed to make up for being attacked, jailed, beaten, and then almost killed for something he hadn't done. He'd come home and tried to get to sleep, but sleep wouldn't come. TenTen was on a mission, and wasn't due back for three days, and without her, it was much harder to occupy himself.

He started to mentally list what he could do to pass the time. *_Make seals?_* His eyes wandered to the huge pile of seals he'd already made. *_Done. That was fast. Clean up?_* He looked around. The apartment was practically sparkling. Toki jumped up onto his chest and curled into a little ball.

"I really need to take a walk or something." he thought aloud, petting the kitten absentmindedly. Toki looked up and started to lick his nose. He waited until the little kitten was finished before speaking. "I'll be back in a bit Toki." he told the little cat, gently lifting the tiny ball of fur off of him and setting him on the couch.

He grabbed his headphones and, throwing his coat over his shoulders, walked for the door. Stepping out and turning to lock the door, he noticed the neighbor's door was open, and peered inside. The apartment was filled with boxes, it looked like they were packing up. The man who Drake recognized as his neighbor walked around the corner and froze when he saw Drake in the doorway.

"Going somewhere?" The big man asked conversationally.

"Oh not really..." the man said, looking terrified. "Just found a cheaper apartment across town."

"Oh." Drake replied, hiding his irritation. "Good luck then." He extended his hand for a farewell handshake. The man's gaze went from Drake's face, to the hand, back to his face, never losing the terrified expression. He didn't move. "Or not..." Drake muttered, turning and leaving. He heard an obvious sigh of relief when he was out of sight.

*_Fantastic._* he thought darkly.

His walk through Konoha brought him much of the same. Wherever he went, people all moved away, intent on being as far away from him as they could. Some glared. Most just got out of his way as quickly as possible. And so he walked, just listening to his song and trying not to be angry. It wasn't working. He wandered aimlessly around Konoha, eyes on the ground, people giving him a wide berth. After about an hour, he looked up to get his bearings and found himself standing in front of Ichiraku. The smell of food wafting out and making his stomach rumble.

Drake lifted the flap and sat on one of the stools. The three other people glanced over, saw him, and suddenly looked scared. They got up and left.

"Sorry for costing you business, Teuchi-san." he said simply.

"Don't sweat it kid," the old man grinned over the counter, "You eat more than any three civilians when you're _not_ hungry."

"I guess." Drake said with a chuckle.

"So what'll it be?" the old man asked.

Twelve bowls of ramen later, he felt a little better. He was about to get up and leave when a familiar voice sounded behind him.

"Practicing for our rematch?" He turned to a familiar whisker-marked face and ever-present grin.

"Naruto-san." he said, bowing his head.

"What's up Drake-san?" the blond man asked, plopping down on the stool next to him. He turned to the old man behind the counter. "The usual, please."

"I was just having a bit of a bad day..." Drake muttered. "Ichiraku is always a pick-me-up."

"Can't argue with that." Naruto admitted with a grin. "So what's got you so down?"

"All the villagers are afraid of me since they saw me fight Hiashi." he explained, feeling uncharacteristically talkative. "It's kind of off-putting."

"I've been there." the blonde man confessed. "Well done in the trial by the way. Bastard had it comin'."

"Thanks." Drake smirked. "How can you say you've 'been there'? The village loves you. You're next in line to be Hokage."

"The village used to hate me." Naruto said simply.

"Why?" the big man asked curiously. Naruto started to lift his shirt, exposing his abs. "Whoa Naruto, I'm not really into... _What the hell is that!?_" Drake's statement changed as the spiral seal on the blond man's stomach came into view.

"Have you heard of the Kyuubi?" Naruto asked him simply.

"No." the big man answered bluntly, still confused.

"Kyuubi no Kitsune. The Nine-Tailed Fox. It was a monster that attacked our village about twenty years back." the blond explained. "Nobody could stop it, nobody could even hurt it. So my dad..." He pointed to the young face beside Tsunade's on the Hokage monument. "Gave his life and sealed it inside of me..." the whiskered boy paused. "...the day I was born."

"Is that why...?" Drake began, pointing to his own cheeks.

"The whisker marks?" Naruto guessed. "_Finally_ someone asks! Usually they just stare." Drake chuckled. "All my childhood, the people here all hated me." Naruto said, his tone serious again. "They blamed me for all the people the Fox killed. They looked at me and just saw the fox, so they always avoided me and glared from across streets and stuff."

The two of them peered over their shoulders. There was indeed an aptly placed group doing just that from across the street. Drake recognized them as the three that left when he arrived.

"So how'd you get past it?" he asked, turning back to a stealthily placed fresh bowl of ramen.

"I left for a while." Naruto explained, breaking his chopsticks apart. "Went on a three year training trip with Jiraiya-sensei. I still get a glare now and again from some of the _really_ old people..." Teuchi whacked him over the head with a ladle. "...but most of the village is okay with me now." Naruto finished as though nothing had happened.

"Hmm..." Drake thought aloud.

"What?" Naruto asked.

"Nothing," he said dismissively. "Just thinking."

"What about?" the whiskered man asked.

"Last one finished buys the next round?" he asked, smiling.

"You're on!" Naruto agreed.

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**ELSEWHERE**

Hiashi looked up as he heard the door to his cell open, hissing in pain when he tried to flex his ruined hand. White eyes met white eyes as Hinata slowly entered the cell, followed by Neji and one of the Hyuga Clan elders.

"Are you here to get me out?" he asked impatiently.

"We are here to deliver the clan's verdict." Neji said simply.

"And what have they decided?" he sneered.

"Hiashi Hyuga." the elderly man addressed him, "You are hereby banished from the Hyuga Clan."

"What!?" Hiashi's eyes narrowed.

"Your title, estate, and possessions are all hereby forfeited to the new leader of the clan." the man explained.

"Who?" Hiashi asked angrily. "Who would do this to me?"

"Your daughter." the man said politely. "Would you like to handle the rest Hinata-sama?"

She nodded. "Thank you Elder Hitoshi." The old man bowed and stepped back. "Father, you have shamed our clan." she said sadly. "You killed a fellow Leaf-nin, one of your own family, for nothing more than a personal vendetta."

Hiashi glared at them. "That boy is a monster." he began. "You mark my words, he'll..."

"_Silence!_" The sudden anger in Hinata's voice shocked everyone in the cell. "You have no right to speak that way about a _loyal_ Konoha shinobi."

"Can I make one request then?" Hiashi asked, his tone still angry.

"What?" she asked.

"Kill me." he said simply. "I would sooner die than rot in this hellhole."

Hinata turned to Neji and nodded. Hiashi saw his nephew approach and calmly closed his eyes. The white-eyed young man's hands flew through a long set of seals, finally coming to rest on Hiashi's forehead atop the leaf-shaped scar. Hiashi waited for the end. Nothing happened.

"What is the meaning of this?" he demanded angrily as the new Clan Leader and her two subordinates left the cell. The ANBU guard locked the cell door again.

"Your request is denied." Hinata said, her voice cold. "You've already ended one Hyuga life, you have no right to ask for another." Neji formed a final seal and the three Hyuga walked away. A few seconds passed, then Hiashi started to scream as the Curse-Seal slowly formed on his forehead.

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About thirty minutes later, Drake was slowly making his way to the Hokage's office. Upon arriving, the guards stopped him and searched him for weapons.

*_This is getting ridiculous..._* he thought angrily as he re-donned his coat. He knocked on the office door.

"Enter!" was heard from the other side.

"Hokage-sama." he said, bowing low.

"What brings you to my office?" she asked pleasantly.

"I have a request." he said simply.

"Oh?" she asked.

"I need to get out of the village for a while." he explained. "All these people being afraid of me is grating on my nerves."

"What did you have in mind?" she asked.

"I didn't really have anything planned," he admitted. "I'd hoped you might have something I could do that'd keep me occupied for a couple weeks."

"I may." she said, rummaging through her files. He waited patiently until at last she found what she was looking for. "Here it is." she said, offering him a folder.

He skimmed through the contents quickly. "Geographical survey?" he read aloud.

"We just bought that parcel of land from the Land of Grass." she explained. "I've been meaning to send someone to inspect it."

"Inspect it?"

"Basically, you'll stay there until you'd managed to investigate the entire area, we'll keep daily contact by means of carrier birds so you can report anything unusual."

"Sounds easy." he admitted.

"You'll need to be thorough." she said simply. "I want to make sure we weren't swindled for this land. That means you're going to be there a while."

"Alright." he agreed. "I'll do it."

"You'll leave tonight then, pack your things." she said simply. "We'll have your equipment at the gate in an hour."

"Does this mean the council finally trusts me enough to send me on a solo mission?" he asked with a smirk.

"This means _I_ think we owe you a bit more than an apology." she replied seriously. "I'll meet you at the gate for your briefing."

He bowed again. "Thank you Tsunade-sama."

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	21. It is not enough

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TenTen sighed as she made her way to the tower. Drake had been gone two weeks. The only contact they'd had were the brief messages he'd send with his reports, so she had volunteered to come each evening and check for the bird carrying his messages. Today she was early. She'd run out of things to do once Toki fell asleep. The message wasn't due in for about an hour. She opened the door to the roost, and noticed the hawk already perched atop it's post, asleep.

"Why is it asleep?" she thought aloud, "Did he send it early?"

The scroll-holder on its back seemed empty, and she opened it carefully. Instead of a scroll, there was a single crumpled piece of paper. TenTen read the message that had been hastily scribbled on it.

**

_Found four bodies at 41, 73. Look like shinobi._

Not pretty.

One has red/white fan symbol on shirt.

Tracking the thing that killed them.

Not human. Might need a little help.

-Drake

**

Her eyes widened.

*_Fan symbol?_* she thought with disbelief, *_Could it be?_*

She formed the hand-seal for a teleportation jutsu, appearing in the waiting area outside the Hokage's office. She knocked on the door.

"Enter!" She opened the door and crossed the distance to the Hokage's desk almost instantly. "TenTen?" the older woman asked, "What's..."

"Here!" TenTen cut her off, handing her the message. The blonde woman's eyes quickly scanned the small piece of paper, her eyes widening as she realized the message's implications. She pressed the red button under her desk. Three ANBU appeared instantly.

"Get me Team Kakashi!" she ordered. "Now!"

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Drake sighed as he flopped down on the bed. He'd spent the entire day tracking whatever it was that had left the bodies, and it had evaded him. He'd felt the hairs on the back of his neck rising several times as he went. It had felt like he wasn't the one doing the hunting. That made him uneasy, and there were few things that could boast that. In the end, the trail had disappeared on a patch of rocky ground and he'd been unable to find any more tracks. So he'd come back.

Putting his headphones into his ears and letting the music soothe his mind, he dozed. About half an hour later he snapped awake. He felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up again and he shivered. Something felt wrong. Something felt very wrong. He sat up and pulled the headphones out of his ears. There was no sound, no wind, no owls, no crickets, complete silence. He closed his eyes and listened as intently as he could. Breathing. Something was just outside the door, and it sounded big.

*_Bastard followed me home..._* he thought, a thrill of adrenaline coursing through his veins. With agonizing slowness he slid on his boots, making as little noise as possible. He repeated the pace in looping the baldric of throwing knives over his shoulder. He glanced over to where Snaga was hanging next to the doorframe, and then to where his coat hung, near the fireplace that was opposite the door.

*_One or the other then..._* he reasoned with a grim smile. *_If I'm lucky._* He eased himself off the bed, slowly bringing his weight onto the floorboards. *_So far so good._* He took a step and the floor creaked. *_Fuck!_*

A spine-chilling snarl sounded outside as the door was torn from its hinges. Something massive and dark rushed into the room, moonlight glinting from its bloodstained talons. Drake scrambled for the axe.

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TenTen was worried as the team flew through the trees. If Drake's message was correct, Sasuke Uchiha was dead, whatever had killed him wasn't human, and now he was on its trail. The last sentence of the message had worried her the most.

_'Might need a little help.'_

Never since she'd known him had Drake asked for help in a fight, especially since he'd retrieved Snaga. He always just walked up and showed whatever-it-was what Snaga could do. For this thing to have worried him it must have been bad. She checked all of her gear for the umpteenth time.

*_Scroll... extra scroll... backup scroll... backpack... swords... kunai pouch..._* she mentally listed, *_Nope, haven't dropped anything since last I checked._*

"Relax." Sakura's voice came over the radio from her position about 50 feet behind. "I'm sure he's fine."

"Thanks." TenTen said, no feeling behind the words. They kept going. It was early evening by the time they reached the cabin Drake had been staying in.

"Look at this." Kakashi said, kneeling to scrutinize the ground. There were multiple large boot-prints, easily recognizable as Drake's, but overlapping some of them were what looked like elongated wolf tracks. Except much, much bigger. With a great sense of foreboding, the four of them slowly circled the building.

Kakashi's hand signaled, and the four of them instantly jumped onto the roof. Kakashi himself drew a kunai and signaled again. They dropped down in front of the door, staggered for swinging room, hands on their weapons. There was no need. Whatever had been there was long since gone. TenTen gasped when she saw the scene. The door to the cabin had been torn clean off and thrown some twenty feet away. There were what looked like talon marks on it. She stepped into the cabin. The room was in shambles, all the furniture overturned and broken. There were more talon marks on the walls, and several large pools of blood on the floor. Drake's coat was still hanging next to the stone fireplace, undisturbed.

*_Drake..._* TenTen thought, panic gripping her heart. A bestial roar echoed from the distant forest, sending a shiver down her spine. Steeling herself, she drew her swords and ran in the direction of the sound as fast as her legs would carry her.

Not two minutes later, when she was entering a clearing, another roar sounded, this time much closer. TenTen saw the source of the noise emerge from the undergrowth some two hundred feet away. It was massive, easily nine feet tall, shaped like a man, but with a wolf-like head. Shaggy black fur covered its form, and fresh blood dripped from its huge talons. She noticed six of Drake's throwing knives jutting at various angles from the beast. It sniffed the air, and it's head spun to regard TenTen. It snarled hungrily, its eyes glowing red. It dropped to all fours and charged at her with terrifying speed, covering the distance between them in a matter of seconds. When it was almost upon her, a dark blur flew through the air to land on it's back.

Drake landed feet-first, forcing all of his weight down hard and bearing the beast to the ground. It hit the ground hard, and skidded to a stop about ten feet from where TenTen stood. Snaga hammered into the back of the Joining's skull, ensuring it wouldn't get back up.

"Damn... thing... just... wouldn't... _die_..." Drake panted, slumping to lie next to the still-twitching corpse. It took TenTen a few seconds to register what had just happened. She rushed to where the big man was lying.

"Drake?" she asked, worry evident in her voice.

"TenTen?" he asked, looking up with a sleepy smile.

"Are you hurt?" she asked, kneeling next to him.

"I could use a nap." he admitted.

"How long were you fighting it?" she asked, regarding the massive body, Snaga still embedded its skull.

"Since he tore down my door last night." the big man answered, sitting up slowly as she pulled him into a hug.

"You _are_ hurt!" she spoke, feeling the blood coating the right side of his shirt.

"Most of it's his." the big man said, gesturing toward the giant werebeast.

"Liar." she said, eying the three talon marks on his shoulder.

"I'll survive." he said, reaching into his pocket and popping a pair of blood pills into his mouth.

"I found Drake." TenTen said, touching the headset on her neck, "He's injured. Nothing serious. We're about ten miles south of you in a clearing."

"Who's with you?" the big man asked.

"Naruto, Sakura, and Kakashi." she answered. "They'll be here in a few minutes. Your... description... matched a former Konoha shinobi." He turned to regard the corpse, anger in his eyes. "Is it what I think it is?"

"I think so." he admitted.

"A Joining..." she whispered with disbelief. "How did it get here?"

"So you finished the book." he commented with a smirk.

"I'm working on the sequel." she said, reaching into her pouch to draw out another leather-bound book. The spine read _The Swords of Night and Day_.

"You raided my bookshelf!" he accused playfully.

"You weren't reading them." she muttered.

Naruto, Sakura, and Kakashi appeared from the trees, landing lightly around the big man and the dead beast. Sakura moved to Drake's side, inspecting the wound in his shoulder. Naruto and Kakashi stared at the massive black-furred corpse. The pink-haired medic-nin told him to lie down and sheared away the cloth of his shirt, leaving a small area that had been adhered to the wound by the flow of blood. She looked to Drake, her hand taking on the familiar green glow. He nodded, reaching up and ripping the cloth off. He grunted as blood began to flow freely from the wound again. Within a few minutes, the wound was reduced to another scar, and Drake sat back up.

"How many blood pills did you use?" the pink-haired medic asked him.

"Counting the two right before you got here? 12." he answered, shaking his head to dispel the dizziness. "I'm out now."

"That's not healthy," she reprimanded him, "The body functions better on its own blood."

"What the hell _is_ that thing?" Naruto interrupted, gesturing at the massive body.

"A Joining." TenTen and Drake answered simultaneously.

"You can fill us in later." Kakashi said, tone uncharacteristically serious. "Where is Sasuke?"

Drake nodded and stood shakily, wrenching Snaga free from the dead beast's skull. He did likewise with the various other weapons he'd left in the beast, replacing them in their respective places among his person. "Follow me." he said simply."But I'm warning you now... It isn't pretty." The four of them followed silently as Drake began to walk southward into the forest.

About half an hour later, the sun was setting as they reached a large clearing. TenTen had stayed behind to seal the body of the Joining for transport back to Konoha. The sickly smell of rotting meat rode the wind to where they stood. The sound of buzzing flies soon followed. "May want to plug your noses." Drake said simply.

Drake showed them to where the first three bodies were. The first was a red-haired girl, massive talon marks in her back. The second, a blue haired young man, his chest caved in. The third and largest of the three lay partially sitting against a tree, his throat torn out. Each of the bodies were missing large portions, scattered around the clearing. It was obvious that they'd been fed upon. He noticed there was no emotion in their eyes as they gazed at the bodies, slight recognition, but no emotion."

*_Must be the other one then..._* he reasoned darkly. "This way."

They began to follow two sets of tracks on the earth, one obviously a ninja, the others, tracks like those that had been at the cabin. The bestial tracks overlapped the sandal-prints in several places. "He was _running away_." Kakashi said in disbelief.

"Prepare yourselves." the tall man said over his shoulder, tone cold. The tracks continued until they were almost to the tree-line, and the beast's prints circled wide to intercept the ninja's from the front. They reached the body. There wasn't much left of what had once been Sasuke Uchiha.

His limbs were gone, his torso mangled almost beyond recognition by countless talon and fang marks. His throat had been torn out. His face however, was intact, an expression of sheer terror etched across his features. Sakura turned away, burying her face in Naruto's chest and starting to sob uncontrollably. Naruto held her gently, tears spilling freely down his own cheeks, unable to tear his eyes from what remained of his friend. Kakashi crouched down next to what was left of his former pupil and closed the dead boy's eyes.

"What the hell did you do to yourself Sasuke?" Naruto whispered sadly.

"Your friend had some fight in him, he hurt it." Drake said, his voice emotionless. "Running from it on open ground was stupid though. Last mistake he ever made."

"Don't talk about him like that!" the blond man turned to glare at the Drake, eyes red, pupils slitted. Drake met his gaze calmly. Sakura sobbed again, and Naruto's eyes returned to their normal color and he went back to comforting his wife. Drake turned and walked away. Kakashi stood and turned to follow him.

"He was their teammate." the silver-haired man explained simply. "The three of them were my students."

"I'm sorry." Drake said simply walking back to where the first three bodies were. He examined the ground in the center of the camp for a few minutes.

"How good are you at reading tracks?" Kakashi asked, keeping himself distracted.

"It killed the two men first..." Drake began. "The first while he slept, the second when he tried to get up. Sasuke fought it for a few minutes, threw some kind of big fire jutsu at it, then he and the girl ran. He was bleeding."

He stooped to read the tracks again, this time near the girl's body. "Sasuke was faster than the girl was, It caught _her_ here, then followed him." he continued, moving to a position about ten feet past the girl. "It looks like he hesitated here, I'm guessing when it caught the girl. Then he panicked and ran into the clearing. If he'd gotten past it into the trees he probably could've outmaneuvered it. After it killed him, it came back here to feed. It's fed here a few times since then."

"You're good." Kakashi admitted solemnly.

"Learning what to look for teaches you what _not_ to leave behind." the big man stated honestly. Kakashi nodded, and Drake stood and started to walk back in the direction of the cabin.

"Where are you going?" TenTen called out, finally reaching the clearing.

"To fix my door." he called back simply, as TenTen pulled out four more blank scrolls and went about her somber task. After sealing the bodies of Sasuke and his late team and sending them, along with the dead joining, with Team Kakashi on their way back to Konoha, she slowly made her way back to the cabin. The bodies would be given proper burials and the Joining would probably be reconstructed and then dissected. When she arrived she saw Drake, still shirtless, meticulously tossing pieces of ruined furniture out of the cabin.

"You guys haven't taken off yet?" he asked.

"I'm staying," she stated. "I already cleared it with Hokage-sama." She didn't miss the smile on his face as he carried part of what had once been a couch out into the sunlight. "I could use a shower though." she said absentmindedly.

"There's a stream about half a mile that way." he said, pointing.

"I'm not kidding." she glared playfully him.

"Neither am I." he said. "Soap's in the backpack." He gestured to his pack, leaning against the outside of the building.

"How long are you planning to stay out here?"

"A while." Drake said simply, carrying out the other half of the couch. "The villagers are all afraid of me."

"I'm not afraid of you." she said, moving closer.

"You're a bit of an exception." he said, arms wrapping gently around her. "You _know_ me." She let her eyes drift shut as she returned the hug, just enjoying his presence. After a few minutes she felt him loosen his grip and move away. "We've got about another hour before dark." he said simply. "If you want to get cleaned up, you should probably go. I need to fix the door."

"Yeah..." she muttered, gathering her pack.

She returned about half an hour later feeling refreshed. All the broken furniture was piled up next to the cabin. Noticing the door was back on its hinges, she knocked.

"Come in." Drake's voice spoke from within. She opened the door and looked around, noticing with some disappointment that Drake had put a shirt on. The room definitely seemed bigger now. All the furniture was gone, save for the bed, which was made neatly, pushed against the right wall. The fireplace had been lit, giving the interior of the cabin a warm glow. A large stack of firewood, much of it the old furniture, was stacked beside it. She walked over to her scroll and summoned her pillow.

"Only one bed?" she asked mischievously.

"I'll sleep on the floor." Drake deadpanned, grabbing his own pillow from the bed. She pouted as he lay down on the floor and put his headphones in.

*_Well..._* she thought. *_If it's drastic measures you want, then drastic you will get._* With that thought, and the accompanying smile, she lay on her side and waited for the big man to fall asleep.

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Drake awoke to the semi-familiar feeling of a weight across his hips. He opened his eyes slowly to see TenTen, face inches from his own, illuminated by the firelight. She didn't say anything, she just slowly reached up and pulled the headphones from his ears, the intensity of her gaze putting butterflies in his stomach. Once he wasn't hearing anything but the crackling of the fire, she dove and captured his mouth in a passionate kiss. He returned it with equal intensity. After they broke off for air, he reached to pull her down again, but she pushed him down and sat up, still straddling his waist.

She reached up and unbuttoned the front of her kimono top, shrugging it off her shoulders. His hands moved up toward the bindings around her chest, but she gently pushed him down again, reaching into one of the buns her hair was held in and withdrawing a tiny slip of paper. There was a small puff of smoke and a kunai appeared in her hand. He looked up at her, one eyebrow raised.

"Just relax." she said, her voice soft and seductive.

She slipped the kunai under his shirt and began to drag it upwards, fingers trailing up his abs as the blade slit the front of his shirt. Once she had finished with the shirt, the kunai kept traveling upwards and gently split his headband, sending the pieces to the ground. She leaned down, before reaching up to pull her hair free of it's confines. It fell, blocking Drake's view of everything but her face. She stared into his eyes for a moment before leaning down to catch him in another heated kiss, dropping the kunai and scraping her nails lightly down his exposed chest.

The kiss broke before he had wanted it to, and she gently pushed him back down, retrieving the kunai with a mischievous grin. She began to bring the blade up over her own stomach, then higher to her abdomen, then between her breasts, slicing it slowly, teasingly, through the fabric wrapped around her chest. After what seemed like an eternity to Drake, the cloth fell to the floor, exposing her from the waist up.

Drake was at a loss for words as he stared at the most perfect being he'd ever laid eyes on. He just stared, finally managing a word after what seemed like an eternity. "So..."

"So what?" she asked huskily, leaning over him and grinding against him.

"So beautiful..." he finally managed to mutter, pulling her down into another kiss. This time _his_ hands were exploring, wandering across all the skin they had been denied before. The kiss broke, and he slowly trailed kisses down her cheek, her neck, her collarbone, finally slowing to a crawl as he reached her left breast, his hand gently kneading her right. This time it was _her_ turn to arch into _his_ touch as he claimed her nipple with his mouth, tongue teasing it in languid circles. She moaned aloud, the sudden loss of control only making her more sensitive. Her hand found its way into his hair, the other clamped over his occupied hand, keeping the hand and mouth where they were. His ministrations intensified.

"Mmm..." TenTen gasped. "Bed."

He bit down gently on her nipple, earning a groan of delight, and reluctantly released it, gently moving into a sitting position and wrapping his free arm around her to keep her steady. Her arms and legs wrapped around him, neither of them wanting to break the contact. He stood awkwardly and staggered over to the bed, ultimately losing his balance and falling backwards onto it, leaving them in the same position they'd been in on the floor.

She caught him in another kiss and moved from straddling him to lying beside him. He felt her legs moving, but couldn't tell what she was doing. She swung her leg over him and straddled him again, and when they broke for air, he saw that she was completely naked.

He took a moment to drink in the sight of her body. Again, he was completely speechless. The moment ended when she smiled and pushed him down onto the bed again. She stood on her knees and looped her hands into the hem of his pants and boxers, pulling them both down so hard Drake heard fabric rip.

"Are you going to ruin all of my clothes?" he asked, his just before her hand found what his was looking for and silenced him.

"Don't worry." she said, crawling up the bed and kissing him again. "I brought more." She straddled him again, slowly lowering herself onto him. "Oh... fuck." she muttered, lowering her hips. Her hunch had been correct, it _was_ suitably proportioned to the rest of him. She continued slowly lowering herself, until at last their hips met. She let the moment linger, just basking in the feeling of being so full and so close to him. After a few moments, she locked eyes with him and started to move, slowly raising and lowering her hips as he groaned and began to move with her, establishing the rhythm as old as humanity itself.

His hands came up to pay her breasts the attention they craved, and he sat up slightly to bring his mouth to the breast it had yet to taste. TenTen moaned, once again arching into the attentions he was lavishing upon her breasts as her hips pumped. She felt the need for control again, and pushed him once more down to the bed. She leaned over to kiss him again, but ended up just moaning into his mouth as the new angle intensified what they were both feeling.

Drake was getting dizzy, the feelings were amazing. He was fighting not to finish, and they had only just begun. His hands came up to her hips, and they both increased their pace. TenTen's hands tracing the scars on his chest. Their tongues continued battling, and she threw her arms around his neck to steady herself.

TenTen felt her climax building, and broke the kiss to stare into Drake's eyes. "I love you." she whispered, hitting her climax just before Drake and screaming his name into the night. He followed a split-second later, groaning her name as he felt her muscles clamping down on him. They rode the sensations for as long as they could, then both slumped down, seeing stars.

A few minutes later they lie under the blankets, TenTen had her head resting on Drake's chest, and his arms were holding her close.

"What about this one?" she asked running her fingers over a long jagged scar on his abdomen.

"Spear." he answered, "Guy caught me when I was fighting someone else."

"These?" she asked, gesturing toward four lines that crossed his right arm.

"Bear." he said simply. "Accidentally walked into the clearing where her cubs were. She was pretty pissed. Winged me before I got away."

"This one?" her fingers traced a horizontal scar that crossed his collarbones.

"Knife." he answered. "Woke up just in time. Bounty hunter almost slit my throat."

"This one?" she asked, thumbing a small circular mark in his right shoulder.

"Crossbow." he paused, thinking. "We were ambushed, knocked me off my horse."

"What happened then?"

"My boys saved me." he said with a nostalgic smile.

"Your 'boys'?" she asked, confused.

"I led a mercenary unit for a while." he explained. "They came back and dismounted to defend me."

"You led a unit?" she asked, "How old were you?"

"Sixteen." he replied.

"Ambitious..." she mused.

"Meh..." he muttered. A comfortable silence formed. *_As good a time as any..._* Drake thought. "TenTen..." he began, his tone soft.

"What?" she muttered happily.

"When we get back to the village..." he hesitated.

"What is it?" she asked, her tone becoming more serious.

"I've saved up enough for a bigger apartment." he said, his eyes avoiding hers. "I was wondering..." he hesitated again.

"What?" she asked.

"Would you come stay with me?" he finally asked, still avoiding eye contact. She was silent. "If you don't want to," he blurted out quickly, "I understa..." She cut him off with her lips. He stopped talking and returned the kiss. It continued, intensifying until the need for air forced them apart.

"...I'd love to." She said with a smile, resting her forehead against his to catch her breath.

He smiled and hugged her close, tensing again as he felt her hands trailing down his chest, then lower.

"Now..." TenTen said, a mischievous glint in her eyes. "Let's see how much stamina you really have."

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	22. to simply say

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Drake chuckled as he saw the first light creeping under the cabin door. "TenTen..." he said softly to the girl curled up at his side. She muttered something but didn't open her eyes. "TenTen..." He said a little louder, reaching out to gently shake her shoulder.

Her eyes fluttered open. "What is it?" she asked sleepily. "I was almost asleep."

"Dawn." he said simply. "Time to get going."

A wordless groan of exasperation was her only response.

Drake chuckled and swung from the bed, dressing quickly. Looping the baldric of throwing knives over his shoulder, he turned back to the bed.

"TenTen..." he began playfully. "Wake up..." Her eyes didn't open, instead a pillow flew to smack into his face. "I guess I could leave you here..." he mused. "Though it'd probably be kind of boring."

She muttered something.

"What?" he asked, returning the pillow to the bed.

"Ten minutes..." she muttered a little louder.

"Alright." he conceded with a grin, "But if you're not awake by then, I'll leave you here." He lied.

She huffed and pulled the covers over her head.

"Ten minutes." he repeated, gathering his gear and striding outside. He set about busying himself, cleaning up the area around the cabin until he finally heard the door open.

"So where are we surveying today?" TenTen asked, emerging from the cabin in fresh clothes, swords slung over her shoulder. "Somewhere close I hope."

"A valley about fifty miles south of here." he explained calmly. "Then I'm done."

"Fifty miles?" she spluttered, reaching out to grab the doorframe to support herself.

"Yep." he confirmed, looking unconcerned. She just stared at him incredulously. He turned away, took Snaga's harness off of his back, tossing it into the cabin, and then dropped to one knee. "Hop on."

"...What?" she asked angrily.

"You obviously don't have the energy for a hundred mile run today," he said simply. "You're dead on your feet. So unless you'd rather stay here by yourself..."

She thought it over for the moment, the bed seeming to call to her tired mind, then sighed and walked over to loop her arms loosely around his neck, her head resting beside his own. "You're leaving Snaga?"

"I won't need it." he said simply. "There's nothing bad out here." She whacked him over the head. "I meant 'I can borrow one of your swords if we run into anything.'" he corrected lamely.

"Better."

He stood up, arms supporting her legs, and took off at a ground-eating pace. They traveled in silence for a few minutes before TenTen finally spoke.

"If you tell anyone in Konoha about this..." she muttered sleepily, "I'll _kill_ you."

"That little 'contest of stamina' was _your_ idea." the big man said defensively, picking up his pace slightly. "It's not _my_ fault you're tired."

"Yes it is." she muttered contentedly, resting her head on his shoulder. "You are directly the cause of it." He chuckled and continued to accelerate.

She awoke some time later, not realizing she'd fallen asleep. She felt warm. Blinking the sleep from her eyes, she surveyed her surroundings. She was in a shady spot overlooking a beach, a beautiful blue lake nearby. The warmth was coming from Drake's coat, draped over her, his shirt serving as her pillow. The wind changed, and her stomach rumbled as she smelled food. There was a small fire burning about ten feet away, and several roasting fish were suspended above it. She slowly stood and stretched, enjoying the sensation of being rested, but noticed something was missing. Drake was nowhere to be seen, and she slowly swept the area with her eyes, eventually picking him out as a small shape about a hundred feet out in the lake. She walked to the fire and grabbed a fish, a plan forming in her mind as she ate.

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Drake heard the splash and a smirk formed on his lips. So she was awake. He turned and, instead of seeing her swimming to him as he expected, saw her standing on the water some ten feet away.

"...ninja." he muttered under his breath.

"What was that?" she asked, walking over to crouch in front of him.

"Can you swim?" he asked simply.

"Yes." she answered. His eyes went from her face to her feet, and a devious smirk formed on his face. Comprehension dawned in her features. "Don't do it..." she warned, standing up again.

"Don't do what?" he asked with an innocent smile.

She turned to run back to the shore, she made it all of two steps before the chakra under her feet dissipated and she fell forward into the water with a splash. She came up spluttering, hair plastered to her face. "That's not funny." she growled. "Now my clothes are soaked."

"Oh dear..." he said in mock-apology. She narrowed her eyes and took a deep breath, diving under the water and disappearing from his sight. He waited. And waited. Nothing happened. He dunked his head into the water and looked around, and finally spotted her swimming up from underneath him. She surfaced in front of him, hands wrapping around his neck and pulling his lips to her own. Just as their lips made contact the water clone dispersed, leaving Drake treading water, alone.

"Tease!" he yelled, voice echoing across the water. He heard TenTen giggle behind him and spun around, still treading water. Nobody was there. Before he could speak again a hand swept to cover his eyes from behind.

"Guess who..." she whispered huskily into his ear as he felt her naked upper body press against his back.

"Hmm..." he feigned deep thought, one hand coming up to stroke his chin contemplatively, the other slowly moving beneath the water.

"Ow!" she squeaked as he pinched her leg.

"Not a clone..." he stated, eyes becoming serious. "Good." He spun around, arms wrapping around the weapon mistress and pulling her into a heated kiss.

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**SEVERAL HOURS LATER**

Hinata sighed, dipped the quill into the ink pot, and continued writing on the scroll.

*_So much writing..._*

Hiashi had not been doing anything for what seemed like months before his expulsion, and it had taken her nearly three weeks to get rid of all the backed up paperwork. No matter how much she did, the stack seemed to stay the same size, and she needed to finish it before she could start working on her first actual executive order.

*_I wonder what the elders will say..._* she mused, continuing signing forms and entering records. Her hand suddenly cramped up. She winced in pain, dropping the quill. She rubbed it with her other hand, working healing chakra into the locked muscles and slowly working out the pain. She flexed her writing hand experimentally, satisfied it was back to normal, she went back to her writing. She heard the door open, obviously someone had found more unsigned paperwork. "Just put them on top of the stack." she muttered tiredly, not looking up from her work.

"Nice to see you too." a familiar voice came from the doorway.

"Kiba-kun?" she thought aloud, looking up to regard the tattooed boy but sighing when the stacks of paperwork obscured her view.

"Hey." he said simply.

"You're back." she smiled. "How was the mission?"

"Boring." he muttered, walking to gaze at her over the massive stacks of paper on the desk.

"Father kind of put off the paperwork while he was plotting." she explained.

"You look like hell..." he muttered, noticing the dark rings under her eyes. "How long have you been at this?"

"Almost three weeks." she muttered.

"I meant _today_." he corrected her.

"Today? What time is it?" she asked, turning to check the clock. "Oh." she paused. "Wow."

"When did you start?" he asked again.

"Um... about eight P.M." she said sheepishly.

"You've been at this for eighteen hours straight?" he asked, bewildered. "No wonder you look half-dead. Have you eaten anything?"

"Um..." she pressed her fingers together sheepishly, the old habit reasserting itself. "Not really."

"Alright," he began, "Drop the quill, I'm taking you out to dinner."

"I'd love to, but..." she began to protest.

"No 'buts'." he cut her off, hopping over the desk to pick her up and throw her over his shoulder. "We're going."

"P...Put me down!" she fumed, her fists thumping against his back. "I am the head of the Hyuga clan! At least let me walk!"

"If you insist _Lady_ Hinata." he chuckled, slowly lowering her down. She instantly tried to dart back into the transient safety of her office. He appeared in front of her, picking her up in a hug, a playful smirk on his face. She avoided eye contact, looking for another means of escape. There were none. Neither of them said anything for a while, eventually Hinata looked up with a blush on her cheeks.

"All right," she muttered, defeated. "But at least let me comb my hair first."

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**MEANWHILE**

TenTen cried out and arched her back, her whole body tensing as her orgasm washed over her. Drake smiled as he felt her inner muscles clamping around his fingers. After what seemed like ten minutes, she groaned and collapsed bonelessly onto the bed. Drake eased his fingers out and crawled up the bed to wrap his arms around her.

"That's twenty." he chuckled. "Relaxed yet?"

"Mm-hmm..." she sighed sleepily.

She closed her eyes and dozed for a while, snuggling into his embrace. She found her mind drifting back to their "activities" the prior night. ...and again today in the lake. ...and again on the beach while the clothes dried. ...and again in that grove on their way back to the cabin. ...and again for the past couple hours. A question sprung, unbidden to her mind, waking her up. "Where did you learn all of this?" she asked him, looking up into his eyes.

"Kakashi recommended some books to me for the trip." he said with a smirk.

"Hmm..." she said sleepily. "Which ones?"

"Paradise and Violence." he said simply.

"I know for a fact that that last trick wasn't in either of those." she muttered tiredly. He tensed a little. "Tactics was better anyways..."

He blinked. "Wait... what?" But she was already asleep. He looked down on her sleeping form and smiled. She looked dead tired, and her arms were folded limply between them, her hands resting on his chest. "Just when I was resolved to stay out here..." he said softly. "You show up and..." He stopped talking as he felt her hands moving lower and saw a smirk form on her face, her eyes opening again. "Damn! woman." he muttered with a smile. "You are in_satiable_!"

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They arrived back in Konoha the next evening, having been... _distracted_ several times over the course of their return trip. As they strode hand-in-hand, slowly toward the Hokage's office they saw Kiba, his arm around Hinata, walking the opposite direction. TenTen made a mental note to find out what was going on from the young head of the Hyuga Clan. They were passing by Ichiraku when a voice stopped them.

"Any odds you're feeling up for our rematch yet?" Drake and TenTen turned to see Naruto walking toward them, his arm around Sakura.

"Mr. and Mrs. Uzumaki." Drake bowed with a smile. "We're on our way to Tsunade-sama's office to make our report. But after that, You're on."

"When will you be done?" the whiskered man asked impatiently, making Sakura chuckle.

"I'd say about an hour." the taller man reasoned.

"I'll be here." Naruto said with an anticipatory grin.

"So will I... apparently." Sakura added, joining the conversation.

"Apparently." TenTen agreed.

"Try not to get a head start Naruto." Drake said with a grin. "I'd hate to beat you too badly."

"So confident..." the blond haired man mused.

"I'll see you in an hour." the tall man said with a wave.

"Be prepared to lose!" Naruto shouted after him.

Five minutes later, Drake knocked on the Hokage's office door, the two ANBU guards conspicuously absent.

"Come in!" a voice spoke from the other side. Drake held the door open for TenTen and strode in behind her. Looking up, Shizune noticed the change in the two of them immediately and smiled.

*_So it finally happened..._* she mused. *_...about time._*

"Ah, Drake, TenTen," she greeted them, "Tsunade-sama told me you'd be in soon."

"Where is she?" TenTen asked.

"She's at the morgue, examining that... thing... you killed." Shizune supplied. "She said to send at least one of you there when you got in."

"Can you go?" TenTen asked him simply. "I'm not really in a dead-body mood."

"Sure." he said with a small smile. "Meet you at Ichiraku in an hour?"

"Sounds like a plan." she agreed.

"Alright," he affirmed, "I'm off then. Thank you Shizune-san."

"You're welcome." she replied. "Welcome back, you two."

"It's good to be back." he said with a smile, turning to stride from the room with his arm around TenTen. They took their time walking out of the building, and when they finally got out into the open Drake broke the silence. "I'll see you in a bit." he said simply, planting a quick kiss on her lips. She smiled. That happy smile that made his heart melt, and they turned to take off across the rooftops in opposite directions.

Moments later, Drake landed on the roof and started walking through the familiar halls of the hospital again, his feet on autopilot, until he reached the morgue. He pushed the door open and walked into the large room. The Joining lay across the room on an operating slab, and Tsunade was conversing with a man Drake recognized from the wedding, the man with the huge white hair. He strode over to meet them, bowing when he got close enough to speak comfortably.

"Hokage-sama." he greeted her. "...and..."

"This is Jiraiya." Tsunade said simply, gesturing to the man. "My former teammate and closest adviser."

"Jiraiya-sama." Drake bowed again. "I've just recently been introduced to your writing." Tsunade glared at the white-haired Sannin, hands curling into fists.

"So..." The white haired man began awkwardly, gesturing to the operating slab, "...this is your monster."

"Yes." the big man began, "It's a..."

"Joining." Tsunade finished. Drake looked at her, an eyebrow raised. She held up a small leather bound book, the words _White Wolf_ on the spine.

"How did you know to read that one?" he asked.

"TenTen recommended it in the report she sent back with the bodies."

"You read that in a day?" he boggled.

"I'm a fast reader." she explained simply.

"Hmm..." Drake pondered.

"I'm used to the trashy stuff _he_'s always writing." she said, gesturing to Jiraiya, "This was refreshing." Drake blinked, taking a few moments to make sure he'd heard her correctly.

"So..." Jiraiya deadpanned. "..._Monster_."

"...Right." The tall man regained his composure and strode over to the examination table. The Joining lay spread-eagle on the slab. The corpse had been shaved, and the chest cavity was opened up, the organs spread across a nearby table and labeled. If anything, it was more intimidating when seen clearly and without fur, huge muscles bulging out and massive veins standing out in stark relief. His hand unconsciously moved to his newly-scarred shoulder when he regarded the massive talons on the hands. The head was just as he remembered, but the glow had faded from the eyes. The fangs were easily six inches long and razor sharp. He half-remembered the thrill of fear when it had been stalking outside the cabin.

*_Had I known what it was..._* he thought, *_I'd have been terrified._* He walked over and scrutinized the organs on the table opposite. "Two hearts... three lungs... two stomachs..." he observed, "Thing looks like it has an extra of everything." Tsunade nodded. "Any weaknesses?"

"Expecting more are we?" Jiraiya asked suspiciously, raising an eyebrow.

He stopped. "Yes." he answered simply. "Does it have a weakness?"

"It only has one brain and one spine." Tsunade surmised, "Other than that, it has backups and redundant systems for just about everything. Its bones are reinforced, its ribcage is fused into a solid plate, and its muscles are like steel cables."

"This thing looks as tough as you." Jiraiya supplied with a smirk.

"Not quite..." he muttered. He was about to say something else when his stomach grumbled loudly. "Oh yeah..." he muttered awkwardly. "I kind of promised Naruto a rematch when I passed Ichiraku on the way here."

"Go get your food." the Hokage said with a smile. "He isn't going anywhere." she added, gesturing to the dead Joining. He nodded and moved to leave, but paused at the door. "What is it?" she asked.

"You should brief the village about this." he said, looking back. "Joinings can't just _happen_. Someone has to _make_ them, and they never make just one."

"Hmm..." she thought aloud.

"Good night Hokage-sama, Jiraiya-sama." he said, bowing.

"Good night." they replied simultaneously.

He strode out of the room and through the hospital, leaving the two Sannin alone. Tsunade noticed a thoughtful look on her former teammate's face. "What is it?"

"What kind of person can look at this..." he gestured to the dismembered joining and strewn organs, "and actually be _keep_ their appetite."

"Someone who has seen too much death." she answered simply. "Now you've got me all maudlin. I think I need a drink."

"This is acceptable." Jiraiya said with a smirk, offering her his arm.

"You're buying." she said simply, taking his arm and walking out into the night.

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**ELSEWHERE**

The small boat made no noise as it cut through the waves, heading inward to the shore. A man stood on the bow, swathed in white robes, his face obscured by a veiled hood. The boat ran aground on the beach, and the man glared with a malice only hidden by his veil at the shores of this 'Land of Fire.' He leapt lightly from the bow onto the sand, and the crew scrambled to unload the five cages, each unlocking the doors carefully and then scurrying back into the boat.

"Stay Here." the hooded man ordered them. They didn't need to be told twice. There was a group of people further up the shore, and the robed man walked calmly to address them. One man stepped to meet him, a bald man with shifty eyes, the four others, wrists and ankles bound, huddled together in fear.

"Here they are." the bald man stated to his hooded counterpart. "As I agreed."

"I wanted five." the robed man stated irritably.

"I couldn't risk it," the man stated. "I barely managed to get them out of the village, the last one woke up halfway here and tried to run."

"Did you at least get them from the right _village_?" the robe-swathed man asked angrily.

"The Hidden Village of Konoha." the bald man said simply. "No families, no connections, nobody to miss 'em." The hooded man handed the bald headed man a pouch, the clink of numerous coins audible to the villagers. He walked to regard the four terrified people, inspecting them coldly while the bald man counted his coins.

*_Three men, one woman..._* he contemplated, *_All seemingly healthy... though a bit past their primes._* The woman began to cry. The hooded man walked past the bald overseer, turning to regard the huddled villagers again.

"Tend to the woman." he said, voice softening in feigned compassion. "She's irritating me."

The bald man walked over and began to reassure the woman. Telling her she'd be fine, and there was nothing to worry about. Every word was a lie, but it served its purpose and she eventually stopped crying. The hooded man spoke, his voice loud, the words unrecognizable to the huddled villagers. The five wolves padded out of their cages to encircle the trembling villagers, each locking eyes with one of them but not making any move to attack.

"You swore I'd be spared!" the bald man accused, desperation in his voice. The man under the hood did not reply, but spoke another word in the strange language. The wolves each snarled and leapt forward to fasten their fangs on the neck of one of their human counterparts. A few of the people tried to scream, but no sound issued from their mouths. The shrouded man's hands began to trace symbols in the air, his voice whispering words of arcane power that burned the mouth to pronounce.

The wolves suddenly shuddered and began to grow, new muscle swelling as their limbs lengthened, shoulders widening, paws lengthening into taloned hands, spines curving to change their posture. The remains of the five people slumped to the ground, completely drained, little more than skeletons with skin. The five newly made Joinings reared up to stand in a circle around the magicker as he retrieved the pouch of coins.

"The flesh of all things will be poison to you." he told them slowly, "All things but one. A man. Only his flesh can sustain you." He waited for his words to be processed by what fragments remained of their human minds. "Come my children." he said in a soothing voice. "Let me show you the face of the one you must kill, the man who killed your older brother." He laid his hands upon their brows one by one, bringing back their human hosts' memories of their target: a big man in a black coat, his green eyes nestled under a Konoha forehead protector. "Now..." the priest said, climbing back into the boat. "Hunt!"

They snarled and loped off into the night, the image of their target vivid in each of their minds.

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	23. I will not

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"Why are you so happy today sensei?" Toji muttered, slumping to the ground in the shade of the massive tree.

"Did I say you could stop running?" The tall man asked over the top of his book. Drake's class had been moved to mornings, and Toji had opted to stay and train after class.

"You said twenty laps." the boy muttered irritably. "I _did_ twenty laps."

"Fair enough." Drake conceded. "Five minute break."

"You didn't answer me." the young boy accused.

Drake pondered how to word his answer. It had been a week since he and TenTen had returned to Konoha, and they'd been fairly... _active_ until her mission two days prior. "I had a... good... night last night."

"Got a lot of sleep?"

"Erm..." Drake paused again. "Yeah sure, we'll go with that."

"What are those?" the young Genin gestured toward Drake's neck.

"You're full of questions today." the tall man muttered.

"They look like bruises." Toji observed. Drake kept reading. "Aren't you supposed to heal really fast when you're fighting?"

"Yes." the tall man answered reluctantly.

"Then why are there red bruisy things on the side of your neck?"

Drake glared balefully at the little Genin. His face was the picture of innocent curiosity. "They didn't happen when I was fighting." he deadpanned.

"Then when'd they happen?" the young ninja asked again, tone insistent. "And what are they?"

"They're called hickeys." Drake explained, "And this is really a conversation for you to have with your parents, not me."

"What's a hickey?"

"Break's over." the tall man announced.

"Aww..." Toji muttered. "But I wanna know..."

"Ask your parents."

"But you're the one who looks like something mauled your neck."

"You should see TenTen..." the tall man muttered under his breath.

"What?"

"I said 'no whining'." Drake snapped.

"Easy for you to say." the boy muttered. "You aren't running."

Drake sighed and folded the page in his book. "You want me to run too?" The boy nodded. "Alright." he conceded, "But this means we're using weights." Toji groaned.

Two hours later, Drake was enjoying himself, Toji was in agony. They were about a mile away from where they'd started, deep in the forest, when Drake felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. "Something's wrong." he said simply, jogging to a stop.

"Huh?" the Toji huffed, coming to a relieved stop next to him. "What's wrong Sensei?"

"Listen." Drake said, bringing a finger to his lips in the universal gesture for quiet.

"I don't hear anything..." the boy commented after a few moments.

"This is weird..." Drake reasoned. "There should be birds, or squirrels, or _something_, there's no sound at all." He stood still, closed his eyes, and reached out with his other senses, tuning out the sound of Toji's panting. Nothing. The wind whispered past them, bringing with it a scent that Drake recognized. The tall man's eyes shot open. "Get back to the tree... as fast as you can." he said forcefully.

"It won't be very fast, I've still got the weights on." the little Genin grumbled before noticing the expression on Drake's face. "Sensei? What's wro..." The boy's words were cut off when the tall man threw him over his shoulder and started sprinting back toward the tree their gear was resting under. He was about to ask what was going on again, when the sound reached his ears. Something was crashing through the forest behind them, something big, and it sounded like it was catching up. They flew through the trees at a speed Toji had never seen from Drake before, finally coming into the familiar clearing with only two trees. The young Genin was dropped roughly at the base of the larger tree and Drake began to tear off his weights as fast as he could. Drake extended his hand, and Snaga flew from its resting place against the tree into his waiting palm. Toji was about to ask how that had happened when a massive crash sounded at the edge of the clearing.

The Joining burst from the foliage and skidded to a stop on its paws, sniffing the air and examining the clearing. Its eyes seemed to narrow in recognition when they fell on Drake, the gesture chillingly human. It took in a huge breath and howled to the sky. The howl lingered, echoing through the forest, then everything was silent. Toji couldn't move, he couldn't even look away, no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't tear his eyes away from the massive creature on the other side of the clearing. Drake's voice broke Toji out of his trance.

"Up the tree Toji." He said simply, his tone cold. "And take my coat."

"Your coat?" the boy stuttered, "Wh... What is that thing?"

"I'll explain it later." the tall man said, looping his throwing knives over his shoulder, never taking his eyes off the Joining. "Wrap yourself in my coat and hide in the tree." Drake rolled his shoulders and cracked his knuckles, relaxing into a fighting stance until heard something that sent a chill down his spine. Another howl sounded in the distance, a few seconds later another joined it, and another. "Hide." he snapped. "Now!" The young Genin was shaking now, but he did as he was told, wrapping himself in the oversized coat and jumping up into the transient safety of the tree.

Drake walked from the shade of the tree to stand in the sunlight, his eyes cold. "Ready to die!?" he bellowed, pointing Snaga at the monstrous werebeast.

The Joining roared and charged toward him. Drake met its charge with his own, sprinting toward it as Snaga rose and fell. At the last moment Joining swerved to the side, too fast for Drake to follow. Only experience saved his life, forcing him to duck as the massive talons nearly decapitated him. He spun on his heel and hammered a kick to the beast's midsection, rocking it back on its heels and giving him time to bring Snaga to bear. The axe crunched into the Joining' arm, shattering the bones and nearly severing the limb entirely. The joining snarled and swung its other arm, but Drake dodged again, dragging Snaga clear. The axe flashed for the beast's throat, but it leapt sideways toward the shade of a second nearby tree. Drake leapt to follow it. Just before the Joining landed he thundered a massive punch into its midsection, sending it flying backwards to impact against the tree trunk.

The beast snarled and swung its talons again, only to have them deflected by Snaga. Drake slammed his free fist into the massive chest, hitting hard enough to hear both the ribs and the tree trunk crack before Snaga finished the job, cleaving into the Joining's weakened ribcage and destroying both its hearts. The beast fell and half-rose, the axe still embedded in its chest. Drake planted a boot on the back of its neck and ended its struggles with a brutal wrench of its neck. The tree behind them started to lean farther, and farther, and then fell entirely, shaking the earth and leaving the tree Toji was in alone in the clearing. Drake gathered Snaga and began walking back to check on the young Genin.

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"...and then she finally let me off gate duty." Kiba finished.

"I thought you might be stuck there forever," Hinata chuckled, dipping her chopsticks into the ramen bowl. "You always seem to sleep in on mission days."

"I have to admit though," Kiba said with a smirk. "I never would have pegged you as a ramen fan. Does this have anything to do with a certain spiky haired future Hokage?"

"I have no idea what you are talking about." Hinata spluttered, starting to blush. "I just happen to like the service here."

"Is that why you always showed up about half an hour after he left?" the old man behind the counter asked, joining the conversation.

"That's not fair!" the young clan-leader protested, "Stop ganging up on me."

"But yer cute when you blush." Kiba chuckled. "Especially when you won't admit to stalking Naruto."

"It's still not true." Hinata pouted. "I wasn't stalking him."

"Yeah right." Kiba joked. "I bet you undressed him with that Byakugan of yours too." Hinata flushed a shade that would make most tomatoes jealous. "You really did?" he muttered "Wow... I'm impressed."

"Kiba!" she protested.

"I'm just messing with you." he said, looping an arm around her shoulder. "I'd probably do that to girls all the time too if I had those eyes."

"Fine" she huffed. "No kiss for you tonight."

"Hey!" he protested with a smile. "That is completely unreasonable!"

"Serves you right." she stated matter-of-factly. The wind shifted and the smile dropped from his face.

"What is it?" Hinata asked, suddenly serious as well.

"Something bad..." he muttered. He dropped the money for their food onto the table and took off at a sprint, headed towards the training grounds. "Akamaru!" he shouted. The massive dog leapt down from the rooftops and joined him. "Did you smell it too boy?" he asked. Akamaru barked and nodded his head once. "Okay, let's kill it before it gets to the village."

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Toji leapt lightly to the ground, the oversized coat dragging behind him. "That was amazing Sensei!" the boy exclaimed. "You obliterated him!"

Drake saw the look of wonder on Toji's face and couldn't help but smile. Something moved from the shadows on his right. He spun and brought Snaga up. Another Joining stood some 30 feet away, glaring malevolently at him from the shadow of the tree. "Toji! Freeze!" The young Genin stopped, a confused look on his face.

*_This is bad._* Drake thought with a curse. The Joining was closer to Toji than he was, which meant if it turned on him there'd be no time to stop it. He could kill it, but it'd reach Toji before that. Drake slowly began to inch his way toward the boy. He held Snaga low to the ground and made his posture as unthreatening as possible.

"Sensei? What's..." the boy asked, starting to turn to see what had Drake's attention. Drake made a sign with his free hand. He'd been versed in the simple hand gestures they taught at the academy, as a means to communicate in complete silence. '_Stop_.' he gestured. '_Back up_.' '_Very slowly_.' '_Toward tree_.' The boy froze again, looking at him. '_Very slowly_' he repeated.

Toji gave a barely perceptible nod, and began slowly backing toward the tree. The Joining seemed confused. It didn't attack, it just sniffed the air and kept looking back and forth between Drake and Toji. Time seemed to slow for a moment, and the realization hit Drake like a hammer.

*_The coat!_* he realized. *_It doesn't know which one of us to attack because we both smell like **me**_!* The little Genin had made it to about ten feet from the tree when his feet got wrapped up in the coat. He stumbled and fell, and the Joining charged. "Toji!" Drake yelled, moving without realizing. The boy sat up and turned toward the sound, seeing the Joining bearing down on him.

He froze, transfixed by the baleful red eyes. The beast leapt, massive jaws open for the kill. Toji closed his eyes and hugged his knees, the coat wrapped tightly around him, waiting for the inevitable impact. The impact came, but from beside him, and with less pain than he'd expected. He barely felt a thing. He was just knocked about five feet to the right, feeling blood splatter across his face.

The young Genin landed in a jumbled heap, hearing a very human snarl of pain. He slowly opened his eyes and looked up at the titanic struggle happening above him. The Joining's fangs were fastened around Drake's right forearm, and one of its arms was on the ground at its feet, still twitching. The talons on its remaining arm flashed for Drake's stomach. Snaga met them halfway. The beast narrowed its eyes and shook its head like a bulldog, fangs sinking deeper into the tall man's arm. Drake cried out in pain, barely managing to fend off the talons as they sought again to embed themselves in his chest. The joining began to lift him by his arm, eliciting another cry of pain. Just as Drake's feet left the ground, Snaga sang upwards, slicing through the massive neck and decapitating the black-furred monstrosity.

Toji let out a sigh of relief as the massive body hit the ground and Drake fell to one knee. It took him a moment to realize the fight wasn't over. The Joining's head was still clamped to Drake's arm, eyes rolling madly in their sockets as the life faded from them. He saw Drake pull out one of his boot knives and stab it into the beast's eye. The jaws spasmed and clamped down harder. Toji heard the something snapping and the big man gave a roar of pain. The other eye finally stopped moving and the head was still. He stood back up and walked over to where Drake was, feeling surprisingly calm. The tall man's arm was crushed, his hand sticking out the other side of the Joining's mouth at an unnatural angle. What was worse, the jaws were still clamped down, with no sign of letting up.

*_Fuck!_* Drake tried to pry it off again with his functional hand to no avail. Toji tried to help him, lending his strength. Still nothing. He tested how heavy it was, taking a few backward steps and dragging it with his arm. Searing pain lanced through his ruined arm. *_Damn thing weighs at least 60 pounds..._* he reasoned. *_I'd have to lift it with my other arm, and then I'd be defenseless._* Another howl sounded, this one much closer.

"Get back into the tree Toji." he ordered, "I'll fight them from here."

"But... sensei..." the young Genin stammered, "Your arm..."

"I'll be fine." Drake reassured him. "I'll fight them off from here."

"O...Ok." Toji began trekking back to the tall tree as a thought popped into Drake's head.

"Leave the coat." he said sternly.

"I thought the coat was protecting me?" Toji argued.

"Yes." Drake admitted. "But it smells like me, and these things seem to react to my scent."

Toji turned to walk back to the tree, the coat falling around his feet. There was a roar and something exploded from the foliage in front of him, rushing toward the Genin with frightening speed. Toji froze again, completely transfixed by the glowing red eyes of the Joining as it bounded toward him. His eyes were drawn to the massive fangs beneath the eyes, and then the talons on the hands. The Joining pounced, and a shadow fell across him from above.

Drake cannoned into the Joining's chest feet-first, breaking several ribs as Snaga clove into its shoulder, severing an arm. The force of the impact stopped the Joining in its tracks, and sent it backwards to land in a heap. Drake landed in a similar heap in front of Toji, jumping to his feet and brandishing Snaga. The Joining howled and ran off, the pain from its missing arm and ribs overriding its hunger. Drake watched it retreat, waited till the sounds of it crashing through the forest faded into the distance, and turned to check on Toji. Toji was shaking, his face was pale, and he was staring at the black-furred arm that the Joining had left behind.

"Are you alright Toji?" Drake asked.

"Sensei..." the boy said, looking up into Drake's face. "I thought you couldn't move."

The big man was pale, and he tried to crack a reassuring smile, but it didn't work very well. It was then that Toji noticed that Snaga had fallen from Drake's grasp, and the big man's left hand was clamped over the stump of his right arm.

"Take off your weight belt Toji." he instructed, sweat running in rivulets down his face. The young Genin just stared at the blood flowing over the big man's hand, tears running down his cheeks. "Toji!" Drake yelled, startling the boy.

"Wh...What sensei?"

"Your weight belt." Drake repeated through clenched teeth. "Take it off, and drop the weights."

"O... Okay." the boy said, wiping the tears from his eyes. It took him three tries to unbuckle the weight belt, and he slid the weights off of it, leaving little more than a leather strap with a buckle.

"Loop it around my arm," The tall man instructed. "just above my elbow." The young Genin did as instructed, looping the belt around Drake's arm and tightening it slightly. "You don't like blood, do you Toji?" the tall man said conversationally, trying to keep the boy from getting too frightened.

"No. It scares me." the Genin admitted.

"Alright." Drake nodded. "You may want to look away for this part then. I need to tighten this, but there'll be a lot of blood when I let go." The boy turned around and heard a deep breath, and a few seconds later a snarl of pain and several words he wasn't allowed to repeat. "You can turn back around again." the tall man said after catching his breath. Toji did so, and again his eyes were again drawn to the stump of Drake's arm.

"Are you okay sensei?" Toji asked.

"I just made myself left-handed." he said, scorn practically dripping from his voice. "I'm just _peachy_ Toji. How are you?" The boy started to cry. "Toji... I'm sorry." Drake began, his anger vanishing. The boy just kept crying. "Toji!" The boy looked up at Drake, tears still flowing from his panicked eyes. "Two things. There's a blood pill in the inner pocket of my coat," he explained, "Get it for me."

He did so, returning in moments and dropping the pill into the tall man's hand. "What's..." the boy sniffled, "What's next?"

"I need you to run, Toji." he explained. "As fast as you can. Get to the village and tell the ANBU what's happening. Tell them there are Joinings. They'll know what to do."

"You're going to fight them?" the young boy asked, concern showing through his fear.

"Fuck no! I'll be right behind you!" Drake lied. "I'm just going to set a few traps first."

"You promise?"

"I promise." Drake lied, fighting back a wave of dizziness as the young Genin took off toward the village as fast as he could. His smirk vanished as soon as the young man was out of sight. *_I'm sorry Toji._* he thought, solemnly hefting Snaga. *_But this way you'll be safe._*

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TenTen leapt into an empty clearing, dropping her backpack and leaning her scroll and swords against a tree.

*_Time for a breather._*

She'd been sent on a mission two days ago to take care of a few disturbances in one of the nearby civilian towns. Someone had been stealing from the local shops, travelers, civilians, masquerading as Ninja. Turns out it had been a band of thieves, the leader of which knew one jutsu. She chuckled at the memory. It had taken half a day to get there, then half an hour to solve the crimes, and now she was about half an hour from home. The head of town had insisted that she stay the night and enjoy the hospitality of the town she'd "saved". Sleeping alone had been weird. Her mind drifted to the _activities_ her mission had interrupted and a blush lit her cheeks. Walking calmly around the clearing, she eased her muscles after the six-hour run. When she was about halfway around the clearing she saw something that made her blood run cold.

It was a massive footprint, and worse, a kind she recognized. She followed it a few hundred feet and came across the only possible sight that was worse. Pairs of other tracks overlapped them, in varying sizes.

"Joinings." she thought aloud. She crouched and prodded the soil at the edge of the tracks. *_Less than a day old... and headed for Konoha._* She felt a chill crawl up her spine. She re-shouldered her pack and her swords. A sense of terrible foreboding filled her. *_If Drake is there, odds are they'll find him. And then he would... He would..._*

She sprinted through the trees as fast as her feet would carry her.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Drake sighed. He had told Toji he'd be right behind him. Unfortunately things weren't that simple. With the amount of blood he'd lost, running would probably make him pass out, and then he'd be lunch for these things. He evaluated the situation in his head again.

*_I need to kill 2 more Joinings... without moving very far... with my **weak** arm... Fantastic._* He chuckled at the sheer absurdity of it. *_At least the smell of blood should draw them to **me**, despite him smelling like my coat. Small favors._* He popped the blood pill into his mouth but didn't break it. He heard two howls in the distance, about half a mile off. *_So now I wait..._*

He leaned back against the tree and began to hum his soul-song, feeling strangely serene as he went about tightening the tourniquet on his arm. The arm was starting to swell, and he was getting dizzy.

*_Not a terrible way to go. At least I'll die saving someone._* he shook his head to clear the dizziness and morbid thoughts. It didn't work. *_I'll have to end this quickly. I only have one blood pill, and the blood is just going to pool in my arm after a couple minutes anyway._*

Halfway into the song, the Joinings burst into the clearing. He crushed the blood pill between his teeth, and his mind cleared as the stimulants set his body's blood-production briefly into overdrive. He evaluated the scene. Two Joinings had entered the clearing, and he recognized the one he had driven off before. He began to walk slowly toward them, acting like he was having trouble staying conscious. They swept out to either side in unison, boxing him in from both sides. He stumbled, dropping to one knee and keeping both of them in his peripheral vision. They both charged. He waited until they were almost upon him and jumped, swinging Snaga downwards in a murderous arc.

The Joinings slammed into each other with tremendous force, the unharmed Joining's jaws clamping down on the shoulder of its one-armed counterpart and the talons of its one-armed compatriot cleaving into its chest. Snaga hit home. The body of the two-armed Joining fell, still twitching, to lie at the feet of the other, which was struggling with the head clamped on its shoulder. Drake landed behind the surviving Joining, raising Snaga for the kill. The Joining spun inhumanly fast and its talons slammed into the tall man's side, catapulting him from his feet. Drake landed in a heap some twenty feet away, his side in agony. He rolled over and struggled to his feet, bringing Snaga up to shield himself.

The Joining rammed its talons into the severed head and wrenched it off, the teeth digging bloody furrows through the flesh of its shoulder as it turned to Drake and roared a challenge. It flexed its remaining talons, and Drake brandished Snaga in response.

The beast charged, bringing its talons around in a wide arc, and Drake met it head-on. The talons swept in, but Drake ducked and they passed harmlessly over his head. Snaga sung in for the counterattack. The Joining backhanded Drake across the chest, cracking a few ribs and sending him flying again. Drake prepared to roll when he landed, but slammed into the tree instead, losing his grip on Snaga. Red-hot pain flared in his arm and side, and he fought not to pass out. He landed on his knees at the base of the tree, coughing out a mouthful of blood. He managed to draw one of Shanks' knives, more out of reflex than will. The Joining charged again. He forced himself up to one knee, throwing the knife, which lanced into the Joining's right eye, stopping it in its tracks and eliciting a roar of pain.

*_Got him!_* Drake thought, elated.

The Joining struggled to its feet again, the long-bladed knife protruding from its eye socket.

*_Dammit!_*

It narrowed its remaining eye and charged, covering the twenty feet in the blink of an eye. Drake jumped to the side, more out of desperation than anything else, and the Joining hit the tree with bone-shattering force. Drake cried out in pain as he forced himself upright again, staggering to where the Joining lay at the trunk of the tree. The beast twitched. The impact had driven the knife hilt-deep into its eye, skewering the brain and killing it.

*_Saved by Shanks' knife... and a tree._* he chuckled deliriously. *_You two are either watching out for me or rolling in your graves laughing._*

He turned and reached for Snaga, willing the axe to his hand. Nothing happened. He staggered to where Snaga lie, struggling to stay conscious, and made a point to switch which boot his last knife was in, so he could reach it if he needed to. He retrieved Snaga, the axe feeling uncharacteristically heavy, and turned to make for Konoha. He stopped in his tracks, his blood turning to ice in his veins.

Face-to-face with him stood another Joining, larger than the other four, its fur streaked with gray. Their noses were inches apart. The beast's eyes narrowed maliciously and it bared its fangs. Drake tried to bring Snaga up. The beast batted it away like it was a toy. The tall man jumped back, drawing his knife. The Joining followed, again towering over him but not attacking.

*_It's toying with me..._* He threw a kick into its midsection and leapt away again, trying to put some distance between them.

The Joining appeared behind him and its fangs flashed down, clamping down on his right shoulder and lifting him off his feet. He cried out in pain and lashed out with the knife, burying the blade in the side of the beast's neck. The massive Joining roared in pain and slammed its talons into his good arm, sending him flying yet again.

Drake struggled to his feet again. He felt the swelling above the tourniquet begin to shift, and felt warm blood flow unhindered down his left arm. His vision started to blur. The Joining appeared in front of him, its talons digging into his shoulders as it lifted him back to eye level. He spat a mouthful of blood into the beast's eyes, his knee shooting upwards to slam into its throat. It dropped him again, roaring and wiping the blood from its eyes with the back of one massive paw.

"If you're gonna eat me," He coughed blood into the grass as he struggled into a kneeling position. "I'm gonna make you work for your meal." A taloned paw clamped around his left shoulder again, and he was hoisted bodily off the ground once more. It held him at arms length this time, flexing the talons on its other hand. The talons flashed for his heart. Time seemed to slow. Drake's vision cleared for a moment, and he saw everything in perfect detail. The malicious gleam in the gray Joining's eyes. Snaga, glinting in the grass about thirty feet beside them. The green of the trees, swaying gently in the wind. The bright blue of the sky. The puffy white of the clouds. The sunlight glinting off the black talons, swinging slowly, ever so slowly, toward him. His eyes drifted shut and a single thought crossed his mind.

*_Goodbye TenTen..._*

He waited for the impact of the talons, and hoped he'd die before the Joining started feeding. It never came. A massive blast of air slammed into him, knocking him back and causing the Joining to lose its grip on his shoulder. He hit the ground and tumbled awkwardly, the ground seeming to strategically place rocks wherever they'd hit one of his injuries. He landed on his side, facing where he'd been, and struggling to comprehend the image before him. A tornado. There was a full-blown cyclone just tearing up the training ground. It came to a stop and a massive white paw burst from the whirling dust. The tornado suddenly dissipated, leaving the Joining in the combined jaws of a massive two-headed wolf, easily twenty feet tall, with fangs the size of Snaga's blades, and platinum white fur.

The Joining snarled and raked its talons across the nose of the head holding its upper half. The massive wolf just growled and wrenched its heads in opposite directions. The Joining was torn messily in half, the severed halves dropping to the ground, finally still. The massive wolf turned and started stalking towards Drake. He tried to push himself to his feet but his strength finally failed him, and he fell into a coughing fit, blood spraying all over the grass in front of him. The massive wolf reached him, but instead of attacking it dissipated in a huge blast of smoke, and Drake felt himself being hoisted off the ground, his remaining arm looped over someone's shoulder.

"We gotta get you to the hospital." Kiba muttered, looking around for something. "Akamaru!" The massive dog looked up and barked. "Find his arm." Kiba ordered, "Then get it to the ER... We're gonna take the quick way. Brace yourself." Kiba said simply, making a hand-sign with his free hand. The world seemed to lurch under their feet and Drake found himself in front of the Konoha hospital. He passed out, waking up on a stretcher speeding through the hospital hallways.

"He's losing too much blood. Operating room!" someone shouted. "We need Tsunade-sama!"

It faded to black for a moment and suddenly he was stationary. He felt an oxygen mask being secured over his face, and heard some sort of rythmic beeping. _beep beep beep_ It was annoying. *_Heart monitor..._* the thought sprung unbidden into his mind.

_beep beep beep beep beep beep_

"Blood transfusion." he heard someone say. "Need... arm." Suddenly his heartbeat was very loud in his ears, drowning out everything but the heart monitor.

**Thump-thump...** _beep_ Tsunade's face appeared directly above his own, she was saying something, but he couldn't hear her.

**Thump-thump...** _beep_ His eyelids felt heavy, the urge to sleep was almost overwhelming. He felt the belt being pried off his arm.

**Thump...Thump...** _beep_ His vision started to blur, the haze on the edges creeping inward. TenTen's face replaced Tsunade's, there were tears in her eyes, but again he couldn't make out what she was saying. Why was she crying? He'd have to kick somebody's ass when he got back up.

**...Thump...thump** _...beep_ He vaguely registered someone wrapping something around his ruined arm, the pain diminishing to a dull ache. TenTen's face blurred.

**...thump** _beeeeeeeeeee..._ The black haze flooded his eyes, TenTen disappeared entirely and a dull roar filled his ears, drowning out the steady tone from the heart monitor. Suddenly everything went quiet. The feeling returned to his body, and the pain from his arm vanished. He found himself looking up at the roof of a cave.

He sat up. Next to him was a crackling fire, and he could see what appeared to be a gray wasteland outside the mouth of the cave. It was then he noticed three familiar faces looking at him from across the fire.

"Druss? ...Tree? ...Shanks?" he muttered sleepily, sitting up. "Where am I?"

Druss sighed. "You're dead. You're in the void laddie."

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	24. be evil,

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"Dead?" he repeated in disbelief. "I can't be dead."

"It's true laddie." Druss said solemnly. "I'm sorry."

"I _can't_ be dead." Drake repeated, an edge of panic entering his voice. "I _can't_ be." Druss laid a hand on the tall man's shoulder. "Get off of me." he snapped, pushing the hand off. "I have to go... I have to get back to TenTen."

"There is no getting back, laddie." Druss said simply. "Your friends were waiting to help you get to the valley."

Drake turned to regard Tree and Shanks, the panic evaporating. "You were what?"

"We decided when we got here..." Tree began, moving to keep watch at the front of the cave. "That we would wait until you died, and we would walk to the valley together. The **three** of us. Just like old times."

"You've been waiting here for me?" Drake asked, guilt settling on him like a cloak. "All this time?"

"Yep." the thin boy affirmed. Drake looked back and forth between his two friends. "Okay..." he muttered, pointing at Shanks. "I can easily see _you_ wandering the void killing things for all this time, and Druss is a recent development, but..." He turned to Tree with a raised eyebrow.

"They aren't people anymore." the thin boy said with a shrug, twirling one of his throwing knives on a finger.

"So how old are you?" Shanks asked randomly, joining the conversation.

"I would've been twenty in a few days." Drake stated, confused.

"Woohoo! We aren't teenagers anymore!" she cheered, turning to Tree and thrusting a hand out. "Pay up!"

"We're in the afterlife..." Tree deadpanned. "We don't have any money." Drake looked on, still confused. "I thought we'd be at least twenty-five before the world conjured something strong enough to kill you." Tree explained, answering the unspoken question. "What did it, anyway?"

"Five Joinings." Drake muttered, _still_ confused. "...thought there were four."

"Hey!" Shanks cut in, pointing an accusing finger toward Tree, "You knew the whole 'no money in the void' thing the whole time didn't you!?"

"So Drake..." he began with a smirk, ignoring the small woman.

"You two haven't changed at all." Drake muttered.

"I like the new look..." Shanks commented sarcastically. "Do you use any of your _own_ weapons?"

Drake chuckled. "Nope." he admitted. "My sword broke a few months ago. Druss was kind enough to lend me Snaga, and I figured you two would rather I use these than sell them."

"How unoriginal." the small woman muttered.

"You've _grown_ Shanks." Drake shot back, feigning wonder, "You're what? Four foot _six_ now?" The girl mouthed something that was both an instruction and an obscenity.

"Has it really only been five years?" Tree cut in, changing the subject.

"Four years, 357 days..." Drake said, without hesitation.

"Hmm..." Tree mused. "Time passes very slowly here..."

"How long would you have guessed?" the tall man asked.

"I'd say about fifty years." the thin man said after a few moments. "I thought you'd be older."

"Sounds about right." Shanks agreed.

*_Fifty years of this..._* Drake thought, the guilt feeling like a knife in his heart. "What have you two been doing all this time?"

"Watching for people who need protecting..." Tree put in simply. "Surviving..."

"Keeping an eye out for you or Old Man Tachi..." Shanks interjected. "Can you believe the old fart hasn't keeled over yet?"

"You always had a way with words Shanks." Drake said, staring at his restored right hand and flexing it experimentally.

"Best get your weapons ready." Druss said simply. "We should get going."

"So how'd you die anyway?" she asked, drawing her knives as they strode out into the barren gray of the void, the first demons starting to converge already.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

"Dammit!" Tsunade swore. Her hands were clamped over the ruined portion of Drake's arm, a multitude of other medics and orderlies working on his other injuries. "This is taking too long." She looked at the clock. *_Two minutes..._*

"Sakura! Get a tourniquet around his arm again," she ordered. "Shizune! We need to start the transfusion now." Sakura nodded and wrapped a surgical tourniquet around his upper arm, then began lending her chakra to the reconstruction as Shizune attached a fresh bag of blood to each IV pole. Tsunade focused again, working to reattach the severed arm. "We have two minutes, people." she spoke, "then we have to resuscitate him, arm or not. Shizune!" The brunette woman looked up from her work. "Start the transfusion."

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"...and then I woke up here!" Drake bellowed over the din of the fighting as Snaga clove through the ribs of something resembling a snake-headed lion.

"...Wow." Tree mused, hurling a knife into another beast's eye. "So over the course of about six months you managed to find a home, fall in love, battle demons, get Snaga, and then die saving..."

"...a random twelve year old." Drake finished bitterly. "Yep. That about sums it up."

"Don't belittle it, laddie." Druss said, coming to a stop beside him, "It was the right thing to do. You lived by the Code."

"...and _died_ by it." Shanks deadpanned.

"Why are there so many of these damn things?" Drake muttered cleaving another indescribable horror in half.

"Tree and Shanks here weren't the only ones waiting for you to die laddie." Druss chuckled. Drake's eyes widened at the insinuation. "You may not recognize them," Druss conceded. "The evils of the soul are shown on the outside here."

As if on cue, a creature looking like a massive scaly lion roared and charged. Drake and Druss each swept to a side, the twin visions of Snaga each singing through the air. Each axe crunched through a side of the beast's neck, leaving its head only secured by a narrow strip of flesh in the middle. The head flopped awkwardly, and a thrown knife from Tree lanced into the beast's forehead, cleaving into the brain. It slumped to the ground and disappeared. Another beast, resembling a gigantic bull with a simian face and taloned hands instead of hooves charged at them, lowering its horned head as it thundered toward the group.

"Mine." Shanks said simply, ducking beneath the swing of the massive horns. In unison, Tree and Drake launched a hail of thrown knives into the beast's hands to anchor it in place. As the knives stopped it, Shanks vaulted from behind it to land on its back. It bucked and tried to throw her, but she just flipped over its head and deposited her long knives in each of the beast's eyes, landing in front of it with her back turned. The beast screeched and disintegrated, and Shanks caught her knives without looking.

"Nicely done." Drake admitted with a smile. He was having the time of his life. He was reunited with his friends, and they were fighting like the years between had never happened. A beast with the upper half of a bear and the lower half of a large snake reared up in front of them. Behind it were two similarly shaped demons. They didn't attack, they just held their ground, glowering malevolently at the group.

"You..." the lead creature growled, raising a massive taloned paw to point at Drake. "We've come for you..."

"I seem to be in high demand today." the tall man stated with a chuckle, brandishing Snaga.

"You don't remember us?" it asked.

"Should I?" he retorted.

"Perhaps you would remember the faces we used to wear..." On cue, the three demons' facial features twisted, slowly coalescing into a three that were vaguely familiar, though scaled. The realization hit him, and his good mood evaporated. "You were the Sound-nin." he thought aloud.

"Yes." One of the side demons agreed. "We've been waiting for one of you to die."

"It's a real shame." the lead demon mused. "I had hoped that the Konoha girl would die first, so we could... _enjoy_... her for a while before you got here."

"Okay, this one wins the 'most-suicidal-thing-ever-said-in-the-history-of-time' award." Tree muttered under his breath as he and Shanks backed away.

"All yours laddie." Druss said, sidestepping to give the tall man some swinging room.

"Now you die!" The demon roared, talons slicing toward Drake's head. Snaga lashed out and the demon drew back a pair of stumps. As it retreated, its compatriots rushed in from either side. Drake charged at them, eyes cold. He beheaded the first cleanly, then spun on his heel to hammer the hardest punch he'd ever thrown to the face of the second. The punch crushed the skull inward, leaving its head grotesquely concave for the moments before it disappeared. Drake locked eyes with it and it backed away, sheer terror on its face.

"What are you afraid of?" Drake asked it icily, tossing Snaga aside. "One human?"

"I fear nothing!" the leader shrieked, its fangs flashing for the tall man's throat. He met it halfway, dodging to the side and wrapping an arm around the demon's neck. It tried to escape, arms and tail flailing madly, but the tall man didn't lose his grip. The fangs attempted to snap closed around his throat again. He thundered a punch into the beast's jaw, snapping the bone and earning a roar of pain.

"Wrap this up laddie!" he heard Druss shout. "Another group of them is coming!"

Drake smiled a smile that sent chills down the demon's elongated spine, and grabbed onto it with his other hand, lifting it over his head.

"What are you doing?" Shanks shouted, "Just kill it!"

Drake took a few running steps and hurled the demon at the oncoming mob with all of his strength. It didn't make it to them, instead falling about fifty feet in front of them. The act, however, achieved the desired effect. The sight of one of their own, completely defenseless, was too much for the malicious spirits, and they converged on it like a pack of ravenous wolves. It saw the mob coming and turned back to Drake, hate in its eyes.

"DAMN YOU!" it screeched as the mob converged upon it, ripping and tearing.

Drake relaxed, the rage slowly vanishing from his mind. "Diversion." he reasoned, holding his hand out toward Snaga.

"I never did figure out how you _do_ that." Druss muttered as he watched the axe fly to the tall man's hand. Drake shrugged. A scream sounded from within the massive group of demons.

"Are they killing it?" Shanks asked, absentmindedly.

"Worse." Druss said simply. "They're keeping it alive."

"How far are we from the Valley?" Drake asked, turning to Druss.

"Not far." the bearded man answered. "Your diversion should buy us some time to get there." They took off at a run, and Drake noticed a golden speck on the horizon. "We're almost to the road." Druss stated. "Follow me."

They continued for another hour or so, and the road to the afterlife came into view. The road was made of white stone, about five feet above the ground, no wider than a street. It ran from horizon to horizon. They reached it and leapt lightly onto the stone.

"Rest a bit." Druss ordered, "Nothing can attack us while we're here." They nodded and slumped to the stone, recuperating. About ten minutes later, Druss roused them and they took off down the road. "Don't let anything lure you off the road," Druss warned. "Unless you _really_ feel like fighting."

The young trio nodded. A few hours into their run, a loud crash sounded to the right of the path. A young man, scarcely into his teens by the look of it, was running, pursued by a massive white snake. The snake's head, however, was that of an emaciated man, with somewhat feminine features, the skin shockingly white, eyes yellow with slitted pupils, long black hair billowing behind him.

"Konoha!" The snake-thing exclaimed, "You are from Konoha!" The boy sprinted away, moving as fast as his legs would carry him. "Konoha!" It continued, cackling maniacally. The boy wasn't gaining any distance, and he dodged again, barely avoiding being impaled on the thing's fangs. The snake-thing's tongue lashed out, wrapping around the boy's ankle. They were no more than a hundred feet from the path, and Drake found himself enthralled, watching the fight, but torn between Druss' advice and his own moral compass. The boy looked around desperately, briefly locking eyes with Drake on the path. His eyes were white, without pupils. Drake recognized him and his indecision shattered.

"What are you doing laddie?" Druss yelled after him. Drake didn't answer, sprinting as fast as his legs would carry him.

The boy tried to draw a kunai, but the tongue yanked, wrenching him off his feet and toward the massive maw. He closed his eyes and waited for the inevitable pain. Just before he hit the fangs, something odd happened. The gigantic snake-demon screeched, and suddenly he was falling, the pressure on his leg lessened, and he felt a pair of strong arms catch him.

"Kota?" a voice said. "Kota Hyuuga?"

He felt himself lowered to the ground and opened his eyes. The end of the Snake-Demon's tongue was on the ground at their feet, writhing and shaking. "You!" he said angrily, recognizing Drake. "Why are you here? Did Hiashi-sama kill you too?"

"Almost." He muttered, Snaga flying to his waiting hand. "I'm here on other business."

"Don't bother laddie." Druss said, his voice cold. "I'll handle this one."

"Handle me?" the giant snake fumed, countless snakes sprouting from the stump of its tongue and shaping into a new one. "You'll _handle_ me? Who in the nine hells are you?"

"I am Druss." the bearded man said simply, his eyes icy.

"Ah Druss! The demons speak of you as a terror. I see no terror, just an old man. Well old man, I am Orochimaru... former Scourge of Konoha Village and now Scourge of the Void, and I will enjoy making you scream."

"Don't tell me..." Druss spoke. "Show me."

Druss brandished Snaga, and Orochimaru bared his fangs. The former Sannin lunged, faster than Drake could follow. One second the massive snake was coiled up, ready to strike, the next it was in a deadlock with Druss, the old axeman holding Snaga two-handed, the blades digging furrows in the massive fangs. The former-Sannin's head was almost the size of the old axeman. Druss hadn't moved at all.

"Is that all?" he goaded, and slowly, ever so slowly, started pushing the fangs away. Druss took one step, then another, then another. The massive slitted eyes widened in disbelief as the axeman pushed it further and further back, backing it toward a 50-foot boulder. The snake's tail swept up and coiled against the massive boulder like a spring, anchoring it. Druss came to a stop, and his right fist cocked back.

"Can't push me anymore, can y..." The punch connected. The force sent the snake-sannin's head about four feet into the boulder. The tail twitched. The snake wrenched its head out of the rock. The face was grotesque, crushed flat by the boulder, it opened its jaws, wider than jaws should open, and another head appeared from within the mouth. Orochimaru's new body slithered out of its husk's grossly distended mouth. "It will take a lot more than that to kill me, old man." The former Sannin said menacingly.

Druss chuckled and hefted Snaga again.

*_He's having fun..._* Drake realized, *_He's actually **enjoying** this_*

The white-skinned snake went on the offensive, sending a flurry of attacks at the old axeman. The fangs swept out, seeking again and again to sheathe themselves in flesh, but every time, Snaga met them before they could. Drake watched on, all things forgotten as he marveled at the old man's technique. Druss was always in perfect balance, and there was never a wasted movement. Snaga wasn't a weapon in Druss's hands, it seemed like Druss and Snaga were just two pieces of the same entity. Orochimaru feinted left, then lunged right, fangs coming around Druss's defenses. The old man read the blow perfectly, and instead of the fangs puncturing his flesh, they whistled harmlessly overhead, and the old man thundered a punch into the massive white chin. Drake felt like a kitten watching a lion. The former Sannin retreated, coiling around the boulder and settling on top of it, his fangs pitted and notched. His mouth opened again, and again, he regurgitated himself an unharmed body.

"Let's see you block this!" He screamed, distending his mouth to obscene width and sweeping forward to swallow Druss whole. Drake heard something he'd remember till the end of his days. Laughter. Deep booming laughter. Druss was laughing, staring death itself in the face and laughing. The mouth slammed into the ground and he disappeared. The two slitted eyes slowly turned upwards to regard Drake and Kota. "You're next." it spoke, around the mouthful of earth.

What happened next seemed like something from a dream. Just as the massive snake started to lift its head, Snaga's twin points burst out from the base of its neck. Drake saw pain mixed with panic in the former sannin's slitted eyes. "No!" it shrieked.

The axe clove downwards, first through the neck, splitting the flesh as if it were wax, and then through the head, cleaving the skull in half to exit between the two massive fangs. The massive body spasmed and Druss pushed his way out of the massive split he'd created.

"Laddie!" he called, holding out a hand. Drake released his own vision of Snaga and it flew into the axeman's waiting hand. Druss brought both axes up, on either side of the pale Sannin's neck.

"No!" it roared, sheer terror in its eyes.

"Never did like snakes..." he muttered as the twin axes swept in, decapitating what once was Orochimaru cleanly.

The body vanished, leaving no trace of its existence but the vaguely head-shaped indentation in the boulder.

"Let's go." Druss ordered, not even out of breath. Drake blinked a few times, taking a moment to register just how powerful Druss was, then took off at a run toward the path, following his comrades. Running on the path again was uneventful, except for the occasional rescue of a wandering soul, but eventually the gold speck on the horizon grew into a pair of massive golden gates, dwarfing everything else, even the mountains. They kept running.

Two hours later, their group had grown even more. By now the run had become a walk, and the slow pace was grating on Drake's nerves. He was starting to see dark shapes flitting around in his peripheral vision, no doubt drawn to the large group of souls, and the gate seemed to keep getting bigger without getting any closer.

"How much longer?" Shanks asked.

"Patience girl." Druss muttered. "We're almost there."

"We're in a world where five years takes fifty years..." Tree muttered. "Define '_almost_'" Druss muttered something under his breath and kept walking.

Several hours later, they finally reached the gate. There was an armored soldier standing guard in front of a small door, one of countless doors seemingly carved into the massive gate.

"Ready to cross over are we?" he asked simply. "Past the point of no return?"

"Yes." Druss said sternly, turning to Kota. "You first lad." Kota nodded tiredly, walking to the nearest door, the others that the group had rescued did likewise, spreading out to all the nearby doors. Drake watched Kota. As soon as his hand wrapped around the handle, he vanished in a flash of light, the door never opening.

"You next laddie." Druss said to Drake. Drake walked past the guard, coming to a stop at one of the many doors at the foot of the gates.

"This is it..." he muttered to himself, reaching out to grab the handle on the door. A voice seemed to whisper something in his ears. He spun, looking for the source of the voice.

"What is it?" Druss asked.

"I heard something," Drake muttered, scanning the horizon. A wave of pain stabbed into his chest, dropping him to one knee. He heard the voice again, whispering on the wind.

"_...Clear._" it whispered, barely there. Another wave of pain, stabbing between his ribs into his heart. "_Clear!_" Another stab of pain. He clenched his chest. Snaga fell to the ground and pain roared through his right arm. He raised it in front of him. The hand was gone again, the rough leather tourniquet secured over his bicep. "_Clear!_" Another, the pain from his arm intensified, becoming almost unbearable. "_Clear!_" Another stab of pain, this one not as strong. The pain from his arm began to dull, and he saw his hand slowly reappearing. "_Clear!_" Another, this one even weaker. He struggled to his feet. "_I'm sorry..._" the voice whispered. "_...we've lost him._"

"_No!_" another voice cried. He felt someone hitting his chest, and another wave of pain shot through him. He recognized the voice. "_Wake up!_" TenTen sobbed.

He tried to reach out to her voice, but another wave of pain dropped him down to his knees again. He felt something wet falling on his cheeks, the sensation strange.

"_Wake up..._" she sobbed again.

A much stronger wave of pain thundered through his chest, he reached out to steady himself, but fell, crying out as he jarred the stump of his right arm. Druss caught him, easing him to the ground.

"**_WAKE UP DAMMIT!_**" she screamed. Pain roared through every fiber of his body. He curled into a ball, tears streaming down his face. This time the pain didn't fade, the roaring filled his ears again and his vision faded to black. The ground fell away from under him, and he felt the world spinning around him.

**THUMP-THUMP**  
_Beep_

Drake's eyes shot open, and he drew in a shuddering breath. He was back in the hospital, an oxygen mask over his face. TenTen was on top of him, and she was crying. He looked into her eyes. A smile of disbelief formed on her face, and her hands rose to his cheeks. He gave a weak smile back. His eyelids were getting heavy again, but there was no roaring in his ears, no loud heartbeat, just the steady beeping of the heart monitor.

A look of confusion crossed TenTen's face as she looked into his eyes, but he was too tired to ponder much else. He wrenched his left arm out of the restraints, wrapping it gently around her. He let sleep take him, content that she was close by.

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	25. Evil must

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His senses returned to him one by one, first came _Hearing_, the steady beep of a heart monitor, the sound of feet through a hallway, and a soft breathing coming from beside him. Next was _Scent_; sanitizer, linen, more sanitizer. He opened his eyes. _Sight_ Drake blinked slowly. Everything was just a blurred mass of various colors. Beige, gray, white... pink.

*_Pink?_*

He tried to focus his eyes, and the image became a little sharper. Pink still seemed off. _Taste_ His mouth was dry, and tasted like it was full of cotton.

"Welcome back to the land of the living." a voice he recognized said tiredly.

*Sakura-san?* he blinked, fighting to focus his eyes the rest of the way.

"Leave it to you to wake up half an hour after a four-hour surgery."

*_Surgery?_*

_Touch_ The pain hit him like a tidal wave, blanketing his other four senses, throbbing from his ribs and from each of his shoulders, accompanied by a dull ache throughout the rest of his body. However, these weren't what was so overwhelming. It felt like someone was pouring acid over his right forearm and hand, indescribable agony rolling up from it in waves. He let out a strangled groan and struggled against the restraints, his power also involuntarily struggling against its own prison. He felt heat building under the seal on his forehead.

"Lie still." Sakura's voice came to him as though from a great distance.

He did his best, groaning again as another wave of agony washed up his arm. The pink-haired woman's hands flew through a complex series of hand-signs, and she jabbed two glowing fingers into his bicep. He cried out as a fresh wave of pain lanced into his arm, but then felt the pain start to recede, going from waves of agony to a constant pain, and from constant pain to a throbbing pain, eventually settling as a dull ache. His other senses came back to him.

"That should dull the pain for a few minutes." she said simply.

He nodded weakly, taking in his surroundings as his eyes slowly focused. He was in the hospital, strapped to a bed. His right arm was back, though there were enough bandages to completely obscure its shape. There was an IV in each of his arms, one in his right shoulder, the other running into the top of his left hand. He tried to speak, his throat feeling horribly dry. It didn't work. She lifted a glass of water with a straw to his lips, and he sipped weakly. He tried again, but he couldn't seem to make his voice work, so he raised an eyebrow, his eyes darting from her to his arm.

"We managed to reattach your arm," she explained, "...but it was severed for too long, all the cells are dead. We're giving you a drug to help your body replace them." He groaned involuntarily. "Why does it hurt so much?" she guessed. He nodded weakly. "The body normally replaces dead cells as they die," she explained, "You don't really feel it when the body replaces a single cell surrounded by healthy cells. _Your_ body, however, has to replace just about every cell below your elbow. Rebuilding the nerves is what is hurting so much."

"T..." he tried to speak, the sound dying in his throat.

"Don't overexert yourself." she said sternly.

"To..." He tried again, his tongue felt swollen. She lifted the straw to his lips again, and he took another sip of cool water, nodding gratefully. "To... ji...?" he finally managed to strain out.

"He's fine." she reassured him, "He made it into the village." He let out a sigh of relief and slumped onto the bed, only to tense up again as the gesture sent a stab of pain into his ribs. "I'm going to give you a sedative to help you sleep." she said simply. "You're too tense when you're awake for this to heal properly." He nodded gratefully as she attached a new bag to one of the IV poles. "Sweet dreams."

Everything faded to black again. His dreams were odd, all random colors and dancing lights, no sound though, just a sublime silence. He felt himself waking up, felt the delightful weightlessness of sleep suddenly replaced with the dull heaviness of his body. He braced himself for the pain from his arm, and it returned in kind, slightly diminished, but still strong enough to blanket his other five senses almost completely. He half-heard the beeping of the heart monitor speed up, and someone moved beside his bed. He felt something jab into his arm, and the pain stopped abruptly. He opened his eyes, blinking in surprise.

"Welcome back." Tsunade said with a warm smile.

"Mmm..." he muttered, having difficulty speaking.

"Take your time." she said patiently.

"Did someone..." he murmured, each word taking a lot of effort. "...feed Toki?"

Tsunade laughed.

"Yes." she answered, "I saw to it personally."

"Th..." he clenched his teeth as pain flared in his arm. "Thanks..."

"You're welcome." she said with a smile.

"How'd I..." he fought to speak again. "...go?"

"Too much blood had pooled in your arm," she explained, the smile fading. "When we removed the tourniquet you were exsanguinated, so, your heart stopped. We had to reattach your arm before we could give you a transfusion and try to bring you back."

"Try?"

"We didn't do it." Tsunade smiled, nodding toward the other side of the room. "_She_ did."

He sat up painfully, turning to regard the bed next to his. TenTen lie asleep, with an IV in her arm and a heart monitor beeping steadily next to her bedside.

"She brought you back." Tsunade said quietly. "I've never seen anything like it... But she used up almost all of her chakra to do it..." Panic flashed in his eyes. "She's just resting." she reassured him.

He relaxed a little. "H..." the word caught in his throat as another wave of agony washed up his arm. "How...?"

"Her chakra has a lightning elemental alignment." Tsunade explained. "My guess is she converted it into electricity and channeled it all into you when the standard voltage didn't bring you back. She knocked out all the machinery we had attached to you too though."

He furrowed his brow. "How... long?"

"Your heart was stopped for four minutes and forty-seven seconds." she answered.

"Hmm..." he muttered, closing his eyes. "Seemed... longer."

He awoke some time later, not aware he'd fallen asleep. He blinked the sleep from his eyes, noticing Tsunade still sitting beside the bed.

"What did you mean?" she asked quietly. "When you said 'It seemed longer'?"

"I saw..." he said, struggling to speak as more pain shot up his arm. "...my friends."

"Tree and Shanks?" she asked, her curiosity showing through on her face. He nodded weakly. "Also Druss." he muttered. "...and two others from Konoha."

"Oh?"

"When we were running toward the gates..." he winced again. "Kota Hyuuga... Helped him... to the other side."

She smiled, a genuine, warm smile. "Who was the other?"

"When we... found Kota," he explained. "He was being attacked... giant white... snake."

He saw her tense up. "Orochimaru." she muttered. "He's still alive?"

"He's gone." Drake reassured her. "Druss sorted him out."

"Just like that?" she muttered. "Just 'sorted him out'?"

"It was amazing." He nodded. "He was so... strong. He made me feel like an infant."

"I want to see what happened." she said simply. "Your fight, the void, everything."

"Send Ino or her dad in then, preferably Ino, but make sure they know what they're jumping into." he muttered. "It hurts in here... a lot, and reliving making myself left-handed isn't going to be pleasant."

"_You_ did it?" she asked in disbelief.

He nodded weakly. "Had to. To save Toji."

"I wondered why the cut was so clean." she admitted.

"Snaga." He said simply.

"I'll give you a few days to recover a bit before I send them." she conceded. "I know for a fact your whole body is sore, and I doubt you can control your power all that well right now."

"At any other time I'd take that as an insult," he mumbled. She looked into his eyes, and her brow furrowed. Her face came closer, until it was inches above his own, her eyes staring into his intently. "C...Can I help you?" he said, blushing.

"Your eyes are different." she said simply.

"What?" She walked into the bathroom, and returned with a small handheld mirror, holding it up in front of him. She was right. His eyes had changed, the green now mixed with flecks of blue. "...the hell?" he wondered aloud.

"I don't know." Tsunade admitted, "But it's odd." Drake shrugged. "Toji mentioned you saying they were 'after you'." she said simply. "Care to explain?"

"I have a... hunch." he struggled with the words. "Did you examine the Joinings yet?"

"I did."

"Were any of them being poisoned by something in their stomach?"

She tensed a little. "...maybe."

"...and was it poisonous?" His words were starting to slur, he felt sleep coming again.

"What are you getting at?" she asked, catching on. "You obviously already know."

"My bookshelf..." he muttered, sleep tugging at his senses. "Way...lander..." Sleep took him again.

He found himself floating, weightless, in the featureless gray world again. His arm was back, and he flexed his fingers experimentally. Everything worked. "Druss?"

"Aye laddie."

Drake spun, coming to face the old axeman. "How are Tree and Shanks?" the younger man asked. "Please tell me they crossed over."

Druss shook his head sadly. "They're still waiting lad."

Drake's eyes fell to his feet. "Idiots..."

"It was _their_ choice to make." the bearded axeman said simply.

"I don't suppose I could convince you to knock them out and put them through the doors yourself?" Drake muttered.

Druss shook his head. "Not happening."

"So now my two closest friends are waiting for me to die, while TenTen and the others are willing me to live."

"It's life laddie." Druss said simply. "If the fight were easy it wouldn't be worth fighting." Drake was silent. "Anything else?" the older man asked. "Or do you want me to let you sleep?"

"Oh yeah..." the younger man remembered.

"Hmm?"

"I take it you know something about this?" he said, pointing to his eyes.

"TenTen bringing you back was very..." Druss chuckled. "Forceful."

"Okay..." Drake said simply. "That doesn't answer my question."

"I was holding your shoulder when she pulled you back." he reasoned. "Like I said, it was forceful, so you managed to take a bit of me back with you."

"I'm honored." Drake mumbled.

"A bit of you stayed with me too." Druss gestured to his own eyes. Flecks of green were visible in the cold blue.

"So how long is passing while we talk?" Drake asked simply,

"About five days." Druss muttered. "They put you on the sedatives again. Your arm will be about halfway healed by now."

"So it's been a week."

"Our link is stronger now." Druss said simply, "But that's news for another day. You'll want to be awake for this."

The waking world came back a sense at a time again. He kept his eyes closed, bracing himself for all the pain. It came back, but nowhere near as severe. His other injuries didn't hurt much anymore, and his arm was down to an almost tolerable level. He opened his eyes and tried to sit up. It worked. His abs protested their recent lack of use, and pain stabbed in from his ribs, but he managed to sit up. He turned to check on TenTen. She wasn't there, the bed was made neatly, and the equipment was all turned off and stowed away. He was about to lie down again, when the door opened.

There she was, looking into his eyes with countless emotions in her own. Suddenly she was a blur, rushing to wrap her arms around the back of his neck,

"TenTen..." he began. "I'm sorry... I should've..." She cut him off by capturing his lips in a kiss. Not a fierce kiss like they usually shared, but gentle and loving. He let the kiss linger until she pulled away.

"I love you." she whispered simply, holding his head to her chest protectively. His arms wrapped desperatelyaround her. The weight of what had happened crushed down on him and his facade finally shattered. He sobbed into her chest, hugging her as tightly as his ribs would allow. He tried to loosen his grip, to wipe his eyes, but the tears just kept coming. They stayed like that for what seemed like hours, neither of them willing to relinquish their grip on the other. Eventually he felt her loosen her grip, shifting to look him in the eyes. They just stared into each other's eyes for what seemed like hours, each reading and responding to the emotions reflected in them.

"Hey." he spoke finally, at a loss for what to say as he wiped his eyes.

"Hey." she replied with a small smile.

Tsunade stood in the doorway and watched the scene unfold, intent on not interrupting. Seeing them together again warmed her heart. She waited for a few minutes, until they had each loosened their grip on the other, and inched her way away from the doorway, moving about twenty feet away. She started walking toward the door, in a lazy zigzag pattern, seeing to it that her footsteps were quite audible. She knocked on the door frame once she reached the half-open door.

"Come in." Drake's voice called out. She stepped into the room, closing the door behind her, and did her best not to smile. TenTen was sitting on Drake's lap, his arms wrapped around her possessively.

"How's the arm?" the blonde Hokage asked.

"Better." he replied, flexing his fingers. "Did you enjoy the book?"

"I did." she nodded. "You really think the Joinings were sent after you?"

"If you were starving and faced with the choice of me, fully armed, or Toji..." he muttered. "Who would you try to eat?"

"That a trick question?" TenTen asked with a smirk.

"Har har..." he deadpanned. "But seriously."

Another knock sounded at the door. TenTen shifted to sit beside Drake, one of her arms wrapped possessively around his chest. "Come in." the big man said.

The door opened, and a man walked in, supported by a cane. He looked old, his features heavily lined and scarred. The right half of his face was obscured by bandages, and a long black robe hid his right arm. "My name is Danzou," the man said simply. "I'm here on behalf of the council."

"Danzou-sama." TenTen and Drake stated in unison.

"What are _you_ doing here?" Tsunade asked, her tone angry.

"Tsunade-hime, Young Lady," he said, turning to address TenTen. "May I have a moment alone with Drake-kun?"

"They stay." Drake said simply, wrapping his bandaged arm around TenTen.

"Very well." the elder conceded.

"So what are you here for?" Tsunade asked.

"I've come here to find out the reasoning behind your pointless little fight." the older man said calmly, never taking his eyes off of Drake.

"Pointless?" Drake repeated, the old man was already getting under his skin.

"You purposely put yourself in harm's way," Danzou explained, "...in a fight which accomplished nothing."

"I was protecting Toji." Drake muttered pain flaring through his arm as he involuntarily made a fist. "Figured it was the noble thing to do."

"Nobility is irrelevant." the old man said dismissively. "The boy is a Genin, you are a Special Jounin. Your value to the village is much greater than the boy's, you should have retreated and waited for reinforcements."

"You'd rather he had brought the Joinings into the village where all the innocent people are before he fought them?" TenTen asked, struggling to keep the anger out of her voice.

"He is worth more to the village than any number of civilians." Danzou explained as though it were obvious. "So yes. That would have been the obvious course of action."

"With all due respect Danzou-_sama_," Drake said, gripping the frame of the bed to support himself. "I disagree."

"Your agreement is irrelevant." the old man said sternly. "You are a member of the Konoha military, therefore when and if you are put in danger is the council's decision, not yours. You aren't here to be a hero, you are here to do exactly what we say, when we say it." Tsunade narrowed her eyes. Drake's grip tightened, bending the frame inward. "Let me put it into terms you'll understand." Danzou said, his tone still infuriatingly calm. "You belong to the council, therefore we will decide if you die, when you die, and where you die. We own you. I'm going to suggest that the council pull you off of active duty until you understand that."

"You want to _punish_ me for saving Toji?" Drake muttered through clenched teeth. "Have you been visiting Hiashi in prison?"

"My own political affiliations are irrelevant," Danzou said, unfazed. "I want to punish you for acting illogially without considering the consequences of your actions." He turned to leave. "Konoha has no use for loose cannons in its military." he said. His tone, as ever, was completely emotionless as he shut the door.

"Do you have any spare beds?" Drake asked through clenched teeth.

"Yes..." Tsunade stated, confused. "Why?"

There was a metallic groan followed by a snap, and a sizable piece of the bed frame was suddenly embedded in the wall on the far side of the room. "No reason." he muttered.

"I should bill you for that..." Tsunade admitted. "But I've done worse after talks with him."

"Weak arm." he explained.

"So what do we do about the council?" TenTen asked, rejoining the conversation.

"What can we do?" Drake muttered. "Half of 'em don't trust me as-is."

"We need to get your side of the story to the council too." Tsunade reasoned, getting up and heading for the door. "I'll send for Ino."

"I'm still not really in total control of my powers..." Drake admitted.

"I'll warn her." The blonde Hokage strode out and shut the door behind her. Drake slumped back to the bed, which bent awkwardly and almost fell.

"Hmm..." he mumbled aloud. "This won't work."

He pulled the IV needles out of his arms and TenTen helped him to the other bed. He thanked her and stretched out, leaving room for her to join him, which she did. TenTen sighed happily and snuggled closer to him. His arms wrapped around her again. As far as they were concerned, everything was exactly as it should be. A knock on the door shook them from their reverie.

"Make yourselves decent!" Tsunade's voice said, muffled by the door. "You have more visitors!"

"I'm not up to anything that strenuous at the moment." he muttered, sitting up as Tsunade entered the room.

"I think you'd survive." the blonde woman said with a grin.

"You kidding?" he said in disbelief, gesturing to TenTen. "She's like a _tiger_ when she..."

"Toji!" TenTen cut him off as the boy appeared in the door. In walked Toji, followed by two adults that the two of them didn't recognize.

"Drake-sensei!" the boy prectically shouted, rushing to the side of the bed.

"Hey kid." he said with a smile, ruffling the boy's hair with his good hand.

"I thought you were dead!"

"Bah!" he said, turning to TenTen. "Takes more than a few puppies to take me out... apparently." She grinned, and he felt his heart do a flip.

"You didn't come to class yesterday." Toji muttered.

"Wasn't feeling too well." he admitted. "Did you guys do anything?"

"We ran a bear pit for a while." Toji said cheerfully, remembering. "Then I told everybody to run laps."

"Did you run with them?" the tall man asked.

"Yup." the little Genin nodded.

"Good man." Drake nodded his approval. "How'd you do in the pit?"

"Undefeated for five rounds..." he said, puffing out his chest. "Then Kona beat me."

"And what did you do then?" the tall man asked.

"I shook his hand and walked to the back of the line."

"Good man." Drake repeated with another smile. "We'll make a proper warrior out of you yet."

"Excuse us." the woman at the door interrupted politely, eyeing the piece of metal embedded in the wall with apparent alarm.

"Oh yeah." Toji muttered happily gesturing to the two people hovering near the door. "Sensei, these are my Mom and Dad."

"Koji." the man said, extending his right hand, but quickly replacing it with his left.

"Drake." the tall man stated, shaking the offered hand.

"Tae" the woman bowed.

Drake bowed his head. "It's nice to meet you both."

"I see our son wasn't exaggerating," the woman said. "You really are quite imposing."

"I get that a lot." Drake chuckled

"We just wanted to meet you and thank you personally for saving our son." Koji explained.

"Yes," Toji's mother spoke again, "Thank you so much."

"You're welcome." Drake said respectfully, wincing slightly as he moved his right arm.

"We also wanted to tell you that if you ever need anything..." The woman began. "Shelter, food, money, don't hesitate to ask. What's ours is yours."

"That's really not neccessary." he said simply.

"There must be something." the man said insistantly.

"You've raised a fine son." Drake said, nodding his approval. "Just keep doing what you're doing."

"Come to think of it." Tsunade mused. "There's one thing we could use."

"Name it." the older man said, with no delay.

"We need another account of what happened to show the council." Tsunade said simply. "Because Danzou can call Drake's memories biased."

"How can we help?" Tae asked quickly.

"We could get the head of the Yamanaka family to show them the memories of that day, but we need someone who saw it." Tsunade walked over to Toji and crouched down in front of the little Genin. "Toji-kun, do you think you could show him what happened?"

"I'll show him!" the boy nodded energetically. "I remember everything!"

"I believe you." Tsunade said with a smile, ruffling the boy's hair.

"I'll talk to Inoichi and see about him coming to talk to you." she said, turning to address the parents.

"Alright." Koji agreed.

"Toji-kun," the blond Hokage turned to the little boy again. "I think it's about time we let your sensei get some rest."

"Aww..." the little Genin pouted.

"You heard Hokage-sama," the boy's father said with a smile, "Move it mister."

"Yes sir." Toji grumbled, dragging his feet on his way out of the room. "Later Sensei!"

"Later kid!" he waved. "See you friday." Tsunade and TenTen narrowed their eyes at him. "I'll just watch!" Drake said innocently. "Maybe jog a bit. My _legs_ are fine."

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**ONE DAY LATER**

"Naruto?" TenTen asked, breaking Drake from his meditation. "What are you doing here?"

"Sakura-chan's shift is up in an hour." the whiskered blond said simply. "We have the day off, so we're just helping out here."

"We?" Drake asked, confused.

"We." another Naruto said from the doorway, arms full of linens.

"...shadow clones." TenTen mumbled under her breath.

"How do you help?" Drake asked simply "Are you a medic too?"

"Hell no." the clone muttered. "But you can help with just about anything if there are a hundred of you, or a thousand."

"Point taken." Drake admitted. "So what are you here for?"

"Sakura-chan sent me to check on you two." it said simply. "Need anything?"

"I could use some food." he said, his expression glum. "Ino's due here in about an hour and I'd rather not have my mind probed on an empty stomach. TenTen?"

Her stomach rumbled. "Well," she chuckled, "There's your answer."

"Hmm..." the clone pondered, walking over and opening the window.

"Could you get us something from the cafeteria?" she asked.

The clone vanished with a large poof of smoke.

"Uh huh..." Drake muttered.

"Lot of good that did us." TenTen deadpanned said.

Drake stood up painfully, and hobbled to the door, looking around outside. Nobody. Not one visible person within thirty feet. "Well damn." he muttered, walking back to sit on the bed. "I'm _hungry_."

"Why so glum?" a voice spoke from the window. Drake turned. Naruto was standing in the window. The real Naruto, and in his hands were several large bags with the Ichiraku logo. "Figured you could use some _real_ food."

"You, sir... are a hero." Drake said simply.

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**ONE HOUR LATER**

Ino landed on the roof of the hospital without a sound, heading for the door. Drake was in 36B, and she was supposed to gather his memories of whatever had happened to show to the council later in the day. She was worried. If the rumors were true, he had been at least seriously injured, if not almost killed, and all when she had been off on a mission. It had supposedly taken seven medics just to keep him alive.

*_I should've been here..._* she thought irritably. She got to the door but stopped when she saw Drake and TenTen. The tall man was sitting on the roof some thirty feet away, facing away from her. His coat was draped over his shoulders, and she could see his headband in place around his head. TenTen sat across from him, and waved when she noticed Ino. The blonde kunoichi walked over to where the two sat, gasping when she saw the extent of the big man's injuries. His entire torso was a mass of bandages, as were his shoulders and all of his right arm.

"What the hell did you do to yourself!?" she stormed, smacking him over the head with her fist.

"Ow." Drake deadpanned, rubbing his head. "Hi Ino."

"Hi yourself." she said irritably. "What the hell happened to you?"

"Five Joinings." he said simply.

"Why did...?" she paused. "Forget it. I'll find out in a minute anyway. You ready?"

"As I'll ever be." He closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

She sat down facing him and made the open handed seal, looking at him through the opening. "Shintenshin no Jutsu!" She felt the ground lurch under her feet as she disconnected from her own body, and flew into Drake's mind. The first thing to hit her was the pain; shoulders... side... ribs... ARM... head... She felt him try to suppress the pain, and felt his hold on his power slipping. The ground seemed to lurch under her feet again, and Ino suddenly found herself standing in the training grounds, Drake was leaning against a nearby tree, watching one of the academy students running laps whilst wearing a set of weights.

"Dammit..." the real Drake muttered from beside her. "It happened again."

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	26. Be fought

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Ino looked around, taking in the memory of the training grounds, the sky was almost unbearably blue, and it was warm, but not hot. Drake sat in the shade of a massive tree reading a book, while Toji ran laps. Toji jogged over to where the image of Drake sat and started complaining. She felt nostalgia coming from beside her. She let the feeling in. "_What's a hickey?_" she heard Toji ask, pointing at Drake's neck.

Drake felt Ino's emotions change from curiosity to irritation, with a tiny pang of jealousy. "I felt that." he said simply.

"How long until the relevant parts?" she asked, disregarding his comment.

"A couple hours." he answered.

"_You should see TenTen_." He felt Ino's irritation skyrocket.

"Let me see if I can fast-forward it a little..." he said awkwardly.

"Thank you." she said through clenched teeth. Drake closed his eyes and the memories sped up slightly. He and Toji were now running accelerated laps through the forest trails. Ino noticed music in the back of her mind, the song was soothing, almost hypnotic, and she felt Drake calm down noticably when he heard it too. "Is this the 'Soul-Song' I've heard so much about?" she asked. "The song that puts you to sleep?"

"I left my headphones in." he answered without opening his eyes. "It'll help. Remembering this is going to hurt."

"Emotionally or physically?"

"Both." he said sadly.

"This is still going by really slowly."

"I'm sorry. I'm not a damn VCR." He closed his eyes and concentrated harder, the images speeding up more. She was about to ask another question, but the intact images of Drake and Toji stopped, Drake looking worried. "Here we go." the bandaged Drake said simply, opening his eyes. "Watch." The image of Drake gestured for Toji to be silent and closed his eyes, muttering something to Toji. His eyes shot open a few seconds later.

"How the hell did you smell them coming?" Ino asked incredulously.

"They stink." he said simply. "Watch"

Ino watched the panicked image of Drake throw Toji over his shoulder and take off at a breakneck pace through the woods. Ino heard, with a great sense of foreboding, the sound of something plowing through the forest behind them. They reached the tree that their gear was lying at and Drake literally tore the weights off of his arms and legs. She saw the image of Drake extend his hand, and Snaga flew from its resting place into his grip. "How did...?"

"Not important." Drake cut her off. "Watch."

The treeline at the edge of the clearing exploded inward, and Ino got her first look at the Joining. It was huge, easily six feet tall when on all fours, and even more massively muscled than Drake, but what she couldn't seem to look away from were its eyes. The eyes were blood red, and seemed to glow from within, as if there was too much malice in this thing, so it was literally radiating out of the eyes. The eyes regarded Toji, obviously the easier meal, and then swung to Drake, narrowing in chilling recognition.

"They _were_ after you..." she muttered, still entranced by the glowing red eyes. The beast stood to its full, impressive height and let out a long howl, the sound echoing through the forest. The image of Drake looped his throwing knives over his shoulder and dropped into a fighting stance, speaking quietly to Toji. Another sound echoed across the forest, and Ino shivered as she felt the memory of Drake's blood running cold. Three more howls... each a little farther from where the fight was about to happen. Drake snapped something toward the little Genin. Toji was shaking with fear, but seemed to understand, and looped the big man's oversized coat over his tiny frame, climbing into a tree. Ino felt the chill in Drake's blood become the cold anticipation of a fight, feeling the adrenaline start to trickle into his veins.

"Why can I feel all of this again?" the real Drake asked from beside her, "This didn't happen the last time you got stuck in here."

"These memories are still raw." Ino said simply, watching the intact image of Drake walk out into the sun, brandishing Snaga. "You'll probably feel everything."

Drake shuddered, and the Joining charged, met halfway by his former self. Ino watched the fight, marvelling at how quickly it ended.

"That was awesome." she said, feeling the adrenaline and exhultation of the memory rushing through herself. Toji jumped down from the tree, and started shuffling toward the image of Drake, the coat hampering his movements. Toji was praising the big man, and she felt a warmth from the memory, and nostalgia from beside her. Another chill ran down her spine.

"Toji! Freeze!" the image of Drake snapped. Ino saw the other Joining, snarling from the shade of the second tree. Drake made some basic hand signals and Toji started backing toward the tree again. The beast sniffed the air and glared back and forth between Drake, acting confused.

*_The coat!_* she heard the thought spark in Drake's memory. *_It doesn't know which of us to attack because we both smell like me!_*

She watched Toji walk, willing him to get away, Drake's feelings influencing her own. Toji was almost there when he stumbled and fell, and the Joining charged.

"Toji!" she heard both Drakes and herself yell in unison. She saw Drake sprint, raising one arm to stop the massive fangs, and literally punching Toji out of the way with the hand that held Snaga. Drake and Ino both felt the Joining's fangs puncture his forearm and clamp down. Ino cried out, and Drake groaned.

He tried to suppress the pain, pushing it into the empty little corner of his mind he had reserved for such occasions. Ino screamed, clutching her arm. "Ino!" Drake rushed to her side, wrapping an arm around her to support her. "What is it?"

"Whatever you just did made this a lot worse..." she hissed through gritted teeth, her fingers digging into her right forearm.

The gears clicked into place. Ino couldn't just exist inside his mind. She had to be _somewhere_. That little empty corner where he pushed his pain to make it more tolerable, _that_ was apparently where she'd jumped. So pushing his pain there would put it all on her. *_Fuck..._* he thought simply.

"I don't think..." Ino muttered "...now's the best time for that."

"I'll try to take most of it." he reasoned. "Watch." He relaxed his defenses, feeling the pain wash into his arm again, and felt Ino relax a little.

*_Not enough..._* he felt her think. He reached into the dark little corner and _pulled_, trying to draw all the pain onto himself. It worked. He let out a gasp and dropped to one knee. Ino moved to help.

"No..." he hissed. "Watch."

No time had passed in the memory, their little exchange apparently instantaneous. The Joining tried to embed its talons in Drake's chest, but Snaga stopped them. It started to lift him by the arm, and she heard a groan of pain from beside her. Snaga decapitated the beast, and she let out a sigh of relief. She saw Drake ram a knife into the head's eye, and saw the jaws spasm. She heard the bones of the big man's arm snapping. She shuddered.

TenTen moved to Drake's side. A moment ago everything had been fine, but then he'd gone pale as a sheet, and now he was sweating bullets, his hand clamped down on his injured arm. He let out a groan of pain and went rigid. She looped an arm around his chest and laid her head on his shoulder, pulling the headphones out of his ears.

"I love you..." she whispered. "You can do it." She replaced the headphones and turned up the volume on the controls, wrapping her arms tightly around his torso.

Drake watched the coming scene with an increased sense of dread. The former him had just told Toji to leave the coat and get back into the tree, and had given up on dislodging the fangs clamped around his right arm. Toji turned and began walking away, and on cue, the third joining burst from the foliage ahead of him, rushing in to tear him apart. The image of Drake didn't even hesitate, he just hefted Snaga in his left arm, gritted his teeth, and brought it down just above where the Joining's head was clamped on his arm. The real Drake cried out, the pain in his arm becoming almost intolerable, and he lost his balance. He didn't fall though. Time seemed to stop, and he felt something catch him. There were a pair of arms clad in familiar kimono-style sleeves wrapped around his chest. They weren't solid though, they seemed to be fading in and out of being, like the _suggestion_ of arms. "_I love you._" he heard TenTen's voice whisper in his ear. "_You can do it..._"

*_I love you too TenTen..._* he thought aloud.

He heard his soul-song again, and felt TenTen's arms wrap tightly around him, her head coming to rest on his shoulder. The pain lessened. The memories started moving again, and he saw himself cannon into the Joining and sever its arm.

Ino felt him calm down, and turned to see what had changed.

"Emotional support..." he said, nodding at the spectral image of TenTen. He felt another pang of jealousy from Ino, but ignored it, focusing on the pain. The image of Drake was instructing Toji on how to fashion a tourniquet, and Ino turned quizzically to Drake.

"How'd you know to set it above the elbow?" she asked.

"The veins in the forearm run between the bones..." he said simply. "So a tourniquet wouldn't do anything if it were there."

"Okay..." she reasoned. "How'd you know that?"

"Leave enough people in pieces and you start to notice these things..." he said sadly. "Watch." Toji turned away as the image of Drake cinched the tourniquet into place, and then she listened as he told the little Genin to run, and assured him that he'd be right behind him.

"_You promise?_" the little Genin asked, tears in his eyes.

"_I promise._" The little Genin gave a small smile and took off toward the village. *_I'm sorry Toji._* Drake's thoughts reverberated through his and Ino's minds. *_But this way you'll be safe._* The image of Drake staggered to the tree and leaned against it, humming the song of his soul. Ino felt his desperation, his sadness, and bizarrely, relief.

*_Why were you relieved that the Joinings were coming to kill you?_* she thought at him as the Joinings burst into the clearing, one of them the one-armed assailant from before.

*_Later._* he pulsed. *_Watch._*

The image of Drake staggered into the clearing, and stumbled. The two Joinings charged, circling in from opposite sides. She felt a cynical satisfaction from Drake's memory. Just before they hit, the tall man jumped. The two beasts collided with bone-shattering force, the unharmed Joining clamping its fangs down on its compatriot's shoulder. Snaga flashed down. The one-armed Joining staggered back, struggling with the jaws clamped onto its shoulder. The image of Drake landed behind it, raising Snaga again. Before the axe hit home, the Joining whirled and slammed its talons into the big man's side. Drake was sent flying to land in a heap some twenty yards away. The real Drake groaned as he felt the damage to his chest anew, Ino felt it too, but it was bearable.

He struggled to his feet, but the Joining backhanded him across the ribs, sending him flying again. He flew into a tree, and Ino felt desperation when he lost his grip on Snaga. He landed on his knees, and she saw him cough out a mouthful of blood, drawing one of Shanks' knives. The Joining charged, and the knife took it in the eye. She felt a brief surge of exhultation, before the beast struggled to its feet again. It charged again, and she actually felt fear from the big man. He dove to the side at the last minute, expecting the fangs and talons to rip into his back. They didn't come, and he struggled to his feet.

*_Saved by Shanks' knife and a Tree._* she heard him think deliriously. *_You two are either watching out for me or rolling in your graves laughing..._*

He reached his hand out for Snaga, but nothing happened. So he staggered painfully over to where the axe was lying in the grass. He bent down and switched which boot his last knife was in. As he bent down, Ino saw the last Joining stalking toward him, and gasped. The last beast was easily a foot and a half taller than any of the previous four, and its manner betrayed a sadistic intelligence the others had lacked. She saw him stand back up and turn to head for Konoha, coming nose-to-nose with the massive beast. She felt utter dread, and a sense of resignation coming from the memory.

He brought Snaga up, and the beast knocked it away. He threw a kick and jumped away, only to have it appear behind him, clamping onto his shoulder with its fangs. He buried his last knife in its neck, and it roared, dropping him to slam its talons into his remaining arm. Ino saw the blood running in thick rivulets down his arm, and felt the blood being pulled from his ruined arm to flow out the wounds. The Joining appeared in front of him again, and clamped a taloned paw on each of his shoulders, lifting him two feet to stare into its eyes. She felt anger more intense than any she had ever felt blanket Drake's mind. He spat blood into the Joining's eyes, and landed a vicious kick to its throat. The beast snarled in pain and dropped him in a heap.

"If you're gonna kill me..." Drake wheezed through a mouth full of blood, "I'm gonna make you work for your meal."

Time and again, the Joining picked him up, and he landed a kick or a knee, anger and desperation keeping him awake. Ino was completely transfixed, watching the titanic struggle between Drake and the Joining, so transfixed in fact, that she hadn't noticed the newcomer that had entered the clearing. Finally the beast had enough, and picked him up with one arm, holding him at arm's length. It flexed its talons, and swung them for his chest. Time slowed down, and Ino saw, as Drake did, the scene in perfect clarity. The wind in the trees, the beautiful blue sky, the green of the grass, all of it... and she barely registered the massive white blur headed for the combat.

*_Goodbye TenTen_* she heard Drake think. A massive cyclone of air and force slammed into them, and the real Drake felt Ino's heart soar as she recognized it.

"Kiba!" she said, excited. She saw the form she knew to be Soutourou appear from within the cyclone, the massive Joining in his combined jaws. The Joining tried to struggle, but a quick wrench of two necks ended that messily.

"We've gotta get you to the Hospital..." she heard Kiba say, the memory blurring as Drake slowly lost consciousness. The memories after that came in disjointed blurs, and Ino heard a thud from behind her. She looked back. Drake, the real Drake, had passed out. His body vanished. The memory kept going. "...Fuck." she muttered, clenching her arm as the pain started building.

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Drake suddenly went limp in TenTen's arms. Ino slumped to the ground across from him also.

"Oh no..." she gasped, reaching up to check his pulse. She let out the breath she didn't realize she'd been holding, feeling a strong healthy beat under her fingers. The weapon-mistress eased him to the ground and moved over to Ino, feeling for a pulse also. She was alive. TenTen walked back to Drake and shook him lightly. Nothing. She slapped his cheek softly. Nothing. She removed the headphones from his ears. "Wake up!" she said loudly. Nothing. *_They must still be in the Jutsu..._* She lifted Drake's coat off of his shoulders and rolled it up to serve as a makeshift pillow for Ino, cradling the big man's head in her lap.

Two hours later, TenTen finally saw Ino start to stir, and gently eased Drake's head off of her lap.

"Ino." she said, moving to the blonde kunoichi's side. "Are you alright?"

Ino's left hand moved to check her right forearm, and she relaxed noticably when it was intact. "I... I think so." she said, nodding her thanks as TenTen helped her into a sitting position. "How is he?"

"Ugh..." Drake groaned as if on cue, raising both hands to rub his temples. "My... head. What _hit_ me?" TenTen rushed to his side, helping him to his feet. "I'm alright." he assured her. Shaking his head to clear the cobwebs, "Just a little shaky." He opened his eyes, taking in his surroundings.

"Ino." he saw the blonde kunoichi staring at him, tears in her eyes. "Are you alright?" She stood shakily, and stomped over to him, anger in her eyes. He closed his eyes, expecting to be hit. Ino clamped onto him, burying her face in his chest.

"If you ever try anything like that again," she said softly, her voice muffled by his chest. "I'm breaking every bone in your body." TenTen glared at the back of her head. A few seconds later, Ino seemed to realize where she was, and released her hold on Drake. "Sorry about that..." she stuttered, "I um..." An awkward silence formed. "I should really go show these memories to Hokage-sama." she mumbled, turning to Drake and TenTen. "You coming?"

"No no no..." Drake muttered, involuntarily grabbing his injured arm. "I doubt I'd survive re-living that a third time."

"I want to see." TenTen spoke softly.

"I'll be here then..." he began.

"Sensei!" a familiar voice called from the door.

"Toji?" the three ninja questioned in unison.

"Sensei! You're late!" the boy said, sounding irritated.

"Late?" the big man was completely lost.

"Yes!" the little Genin practically shouted. "Did you forget?"

"Forget what?" Drake was still lost.

"Class!" Toji said, his tone exasperated. "You were supposed to be there an hour ago!"

Drake started laughing. "You're right Toji," he chuckled. "How could I forget?" He turned to TenTen and Ino. "I'm teaching the kids apparently..." Ino and TenTen each shot him a look. "I'll just teach. In _this_ shape, the kids could beat me anyway."

"Alright..." Ino said half-heartedly. "We're off then. Have fun teaching."

"See you later." he said, waving over his shoulder and walking unsteadily toward the door. "Come on Toji, help me find a sling for this stupid arm."

They reached the training grounds about half an hour later, Drake's legs were fine, but his upper body injuries threw off his balance and slowed him down considerably. Drake scanned the assembled Genin.

*_Hmm... a lot of new faces..._* he pondered. *_I wonder what's up._* He picked up a blob of pink and another of orange in his peripheral vision. "Sakura, Naruto." he addressed the Jounin. "Welcome to Brawling 101... Come to observe?"

"Naruto is," Sakura answered, handing him a folder with the Hokage's seal on it. "I'm your class medic for the day."

"I see." Drake nodded, breaking the seal. "Thanks for coming."

_Drake, due to an increased interest in your Taijutsu course, the school has decided to run admission on a weekly basis. The class will have thirty students at all times, as soon as a student completes their allotted time or drops out, another will be admitted._

Get well soon.

-Tsunade 

"Naruto." the tall-man turned to the blond. "I need your help with a little demonstration."

"Alright." the spiky-haired Jounin nodded.

"Follow me."

"Children!" Drake said, removing the sling from his arm and striding to the front of the group. "I see a lot of new faces, which means a lot of you aren't sure exactly what you've gotten yourselves into." A few of the more experienced students snickered. "I'm going to tell you the purpose of this class, but first I want you to watch very carefully." Drake spun on his heel and swung a murderous kick towards Naruto's head. The whiskered blond blocked expertly, stopping the kick mere inches from his face. "Good." Drake said, turning to the class. "Now who can tell me what just happened?"

"You kicked him." one of the new students chimed from the back.

"Thank you." Drake deadpanned. "Anyone pick up on anything else? Something Naruto-san here _didn't_ do?" Nobody spoke. "Ugh..." the big man muttered to himself. "Alright... you." he said, pointing to the new student who had spoken. "What's your name?"

"Sato..." the little boy replied.

"Sato-kun, would you step up here please?"

"All... Alright." the boy agreed nervously, walking to stand beside Drake. Without warning, the tall man swung his fist at the little Genin, who froze in terror, stopping less than an inch from his face. He opened his eyes after a few seconds, looking terrified. "Don't worry." Drake whispered, patting the boy on the shoulder. "You did fine." "Now..." he said aloud, adressing the class again. "What did Sato-kun do, that Naruto-san here didn't?"

The kids all looked oblivious.

"He hesitated!" a voice said from beside the group. Drake turned, along with the rest of the class, and saw Kiba leaning against a nearby tree, Akamaru lounging on the ground nearby.

"Exactly!" the tall man agreed. "Thank you Kiba." Kiba nodded. "The point of this class." Drake spoke, swinging another kick at Naruto, who ducked underneath it. "Is to get rid of the hesitation you all have when fighting. You need..." Another kick, expertly turned aside. "To get to the point..." Another.... "Where you don't think..." A punch, which was caught halfway. "About dodging or blocking." He turned to the class again.

"Experience is everything!" he said loudly. "When I try to kick Naruto-san in the head..." He did so as he spoke, and Naruto dodged flawlessly. "He doesn't need to _think_ about how to counter it, he can just _do_ it."

Some of the children nodded their understanding.

"This is why I have you all spar so much." Drake explained. "To build experience. So when an opponent swings at you, it's something that you've seen and dealt with a hundred times over. Likewise, I don't have you pull your punches, so when an enemy _really_ hits you," he said, feinting and landing a kick to Naruto's stomach. "You aren't shocked by the pain."

"That's why I'm here!" Sakura chimed with a smile from the back of the group, "To patch you up so you can keep fighting."

"Alright. Enough lecture." Drake said with a big grin. "Bear pits. Five people each. Those of you that have been here, teach the new kids how it's done." He turned to the whiskered blond. "Sorry Naruto," he said with an apologetic smile. "Got a little carried away."

"I've had worse." the whiskered blond chuckled. "You hit like a train."

"So I hear." he smiled. "Excuse me." Drake strode over to where Kiba was still leaning against the tree. "Thanks for the help the other day." he said, extending his uninjured hand. "I was starting to struggle a bit with that last one."

Kiba laughed, shaking the offered hand. "You're welcome. Glad to be of assistance."

"So what brings you to my Taijutsu class?" the big man inquired. "I hardly think you or Akamaru need the practice."

"Hinata was at the Hokage's office, watching the show, and I got bored. Figured I'd come see how you were doing."

"Hell of a lot better than I thought I'd be." Drake admitted. There was a whisper of wind behind Drake, and Kiba smiled a knowing smile.

"That's my cue." the tattooed boy smirked. "See you around."

Drake turned around, confused, only to come face to face with TenTen.

"TenTe..." She cut him off, pressing her lips to his and wrapping her arms around his neck. He wrapped his arms around her, his unbandaged hand stroking her hair gently. "So you saw." he said softly, after they finally broke for air. "I saw." She whispered and held him close, resting her head on his shoulder. They stayed for several minutes, neither moving, until at last Drake loosened his grip. "TenTen, I really should go check on the kids..." he began. "Before they..."

"I'll let go when I'm _damn_ well good and ready." she whispered, tears running down her cheeks.

He smiled and squeezed her closer, speaking without thinking.

"I love you."

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	27. Wherever

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"Let's take a break." TenTen said simply, jogging to a stop near a large boulder. "We're about an hour from Suna."

"How can you tell?" Drake asked, landing behind her and sitting down on the edge of the boulder.

"This boulder is the one hour mark." she explained, sitting down on his lap. "Sakura and Naruto are about ten minutes behind us." She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him deeply.

"Hmm..." he muttered as they broke for air. "So this is why you suggested we split the team up."

She kissed him again. "Had to get some time alone somehow." she smiled, resting her forehead against his.

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**ONE DAY EARLIER**

Drake and TenTen made their way home slowly, their hands locked, just enjoying each other's presence. His class had kept going until the sun was setting. The students all seeming enthusiastic to have their teacher back. Eventually TenTen had told them to let their teacher get some rest, and they'd reluctantly agreed. They reached Drake's apartment after about twenty minutes, and were greeted by a bizarre sight. Tsunade was on his couch, a drunken blush on her cheeks, in the arms of an equally inebriated Jiraiya. Drake cleared his throat.

"Oh..." Tsunade jumped, scooting to a friendly distance from Jiraiya. "Hi."

"Hi..." Drake deadpanned. "Shouldn't you be off _running the village_ or something?"

"We're celebrating." Jiraiya said simply,

"Drinking to an old friend." Tsunade agreed. There were two empty shotglasses on the table. A third, full, sat undisturbed. Empty sake bottles were scattered all around the room.

"In _his_ apartment?" TenTen asked, raising an eyebrow.

"There aren't a lot of places I can go to get drunk without the council giving me crap about it." Tsunade said simply. "And I wanted to see Toki." The kitten's ears perked up at the mention of his name, and he looked around the room.

"Hey Toki..." Drake smiled, "Long time no see." The kitten launched himself from the blonde Hokage's lap and ran toward Drake, jumping onto his leg and starting to climb. "Gah!" the tall man exclaimed, scrabbling to remove the tiny claws boring into his leg, and then his midsection. "Toki! Ow! Get off!" By the time Drake got a hand on him, Toki had climbed from the tall man's leg to the center of his chest. He pulled the kitten off, dangling him by the scruff on the back of his neck.

"Proud of yourself?" he asked, gesturing to the constellation of holes that Toki's removal had put in his shirt. The kitten purred, his eyes drifting shut in contentment. "Be right back." he muttered, walking into the next room.

Tsunade waited a few moments before asking her question. "How is he?"

"Not good." TenTen replied simply. "He's putting on a brave face for my sake, but something's bothering him."

"We've seen this before." she said simply. "Near-death experiences always have a huge impact on a person's mental stability."

"That's not it." the weapon-mistress corrected. "Something else is bugging him." As if on cue, Drake walked back into the room, wearing a clean shirt.

"Drake." Tsunade addressed the big man, "Can I talk to you for a moment?"

"Sure." He acknowledged. "What's up?"

"Let's step outside." she supplied.

"Alright." He threw his coat over his shoulders. "Apparently I'm going on a walk." He leaned in to kiss TenTen on the cheek. "I'll be back."

"I'll be here." she said softly

Tsunade and Drake walked out the door. TenTen sighed and walked over to slump down in a chair. "You were sitting awfully close to Tsunade-sama back there." She said, eying Jiraiya suspiciously. "Sparks flying?"

Jiraiya smiled, one of the first genuine smiles she had ever seen from him. "I've been crazy about that girl since I met her forty years ago." he admitted. "And now I finally get to go somewhere with it."

"Why _now_?" TenTen asked, confused.

"We admitted our feelings for each other shortly after Orochimaru left the village." he explained. "But we realized we couldn't be happy together while we knew he was still out there, plotting to destroy everything we held dear." TenTen nodded. "So she ran away," Jiraiya continued. "And I took to wandering."

"Doing 'research'?" she teased.

"That's what I told people." he admitted. "In all honesty, I was just looking for her."

"Did you find her?" the brunette asked.

"I did." Jiraiya sighed. "But it was right after the Third Hokage, had died. He was killed by Orochimaru, ironically enough."

"And so you couldn't be together." she reasoned. "Because Orochimaru was right in your faces when you found her."

The toad sage nodded. "Exactly."

"So what happened then?"

"She became Hokage, and I took to wandering again." Jiraiya mused, "This time, tracking Orochimaru and Akatsuki."

"Why didn't you get together when he died?" TenTen asked simply. "From what Drake said, he'd been in the void for a while."

"He'd died before, and come back." the white-haired sage said simply. "When we heard he'd been killed we both just figured he'd be back. He always came back."

"He won't be coming back anymore." she said sternly.

The gears clicked into place in TenTen's brain. "_That_'s why you were celebrating..."

"Bingo." the white haired man nodded.

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Drake and Tsunade had walked for about a mile before either of them spoke.

"What's wrong?" she asked finally.

"That alcohol erase the whole 'losing my arm and dying' episode already?" he asked in half-hearted sarcasm. "Strong stuff."

"You've been injured before," she said simply. "You didn't answer me."

"I really don't want to talk about it." he muttered.

"I'm ordering you to talk about it." she said sternly. "Holding this in won't do you any good."

He sighed, slumping down onto a bench. "Do we really have to do this now?"

"Yes." she said sternly.

"Why?" he asked irritably.

"I'm the Hokage." Tsunade said simply. "You're one of my kids." He sighed. "So..." she began after a pause. "What's wrong?"

"Since you brought me back, I've just been thinking about my life." he admitted. "If I've _accomplished_ anything. I haven't."

"You've accomplished a lot." she tried to correct him.

"All I've done is fight. All I _do_ is fight." he corrected. "Fighting doesn't accomplish anything. It just destroys. And I'm useless unless I'm fighting."

"TenTen would argue otherwise." she said with a suggestive smirk. He glared at her. "I have ears all over the village." she explained innocently. "It's not my fault you two are _loud_." His eyes fell to his feet again. "You've accomplished a lot since you've come here." she repeated, changing the subject.

"Like what?" he asked.

"You saved TenTen." she supplied.

"By killing three men." he retorted.

"They deserved it." Tsunade said honestly.

"I agree." he stated matter-of-factly. "But my point remains valid."

"You earned yourself a citizenship in Konoha."

"By fighting Lee." he replied.

"You retrieved Snaga." she began.

"By killing a gigantic demon snake." he finished.

"You overthrew a corrupt clan leader." she supplied.

"_Overthrow_ here meaning _beat within seconds of death_."

She paused. "You taught the kids."

"To fight." he snapped. "Noticing a pattern here yet?"

"Alright, so fighting is something you're good at." she admitted. "_Very_ good at, and you enjoy it... so where's the dilemma?"

"I _hate_ it." he whispered.

"How can you hate it?" she asked, confused. "I've seen you fight and you _do_ enjoy it."

"It's difficult to explain." he muttered.

"I have time." she said simply.

"When I'm actually fighting, there's all the adrenaline and uncertainty and exhiliration, but when I'm done, and the rush fades, all that's left are bodies." he said quietly. "That's my legacy... _Bodies_."

"Your legacy is all the people you've saved." she said defiantly.

"Saved? Do you know how many people I've killed?" he asked simply. "Over the course of my life?"

"You were a soldier then..," she said simply. "You're a ninja _now_. It's part of the..."

"Two thousand two hundred and five." he cut her off. She looked into his eyes and saw the sadness brimming in them. "Now, how many lives do you think I've _saved_?" he asked, his voice low.

"How many?" she asked.

"One hundred and three." he said, sounding defeated. "Four if you count Kota Hyuga in the void. I couldn't even save Tree... or Shanks."

"You were just a kid." she said simply, wrapping her arm around his shoulders in a sympathetic hug. "There was no way to win in that situation."

"I'm just so tired." he admitted. "I thought that when I finally died, I'd be able to stop fighting. I'd be able to _rest_. That's why I was relieved when the Joinings came after me. When I lost my arm I knew I wasn't going to win that fight."

She nodded. "Ino told me about that."

"But 'lo and behold! What's waiting on the other side?" he asked bitterly. "Another fight!"

"This has something to do with why you came to this side of the ocean." she reasoned.

"How the hell did you know that?" he asked, confused.

"Shot in the dark." she admitted.

"I got fed up with it all." he admitted. "All the war, all the death, all the killing. I went to a fortune-teller. A damn good one too."

"What did she tell you?"

"_You'll meet your match when you find the warriors who wear their allegiance on their heads._" he quoted.

"Your match?" she asked in disbelief. "You came here to die?"

He nodded sadly. "That was the plan." he admitted. "I was so jaded with it all, I just wanted it to end. I don't have it in me to purposefully lose a fight, so I set off to find someone who could kill me."

"What changed your mind?" she asked, thoroughly sobered by his admission.

"TenTen." he said simply. "_She_ gave me something to live for..." Tsunade smiled. "...and then I died anyway." he finished lamely.

"We brought you back." she corrected.

"Thank you." he said honestly.

"Anything else you want to get off your chest?"

"Yes..." he admitted. "but I think I'm all emotioned out for the night. I think it's about time we head back and make sure Jiraiya didn't try anything with TenTen."

"I think he'd put up quite a fight." she said with a smile. "Even for you."

"Who said anything about me?" he chuckled without feeling. "TenTen'd cut him to pieces. I just don't want blood all over my apartment."

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"So there I was..." Jiraiya recounted. "Arm torn off, stabbed six times through the chest, my throat caved in, sinking down into the bottom of a lake..."

"How'd you survive?" TenTen asked skeptically.

"I sealed myself in this." he said, patting the massive scroll at the foot of the couch.

"You sealed _yourself_?" she asked, bewildered.

He nodded. "...and I wouldn't recommend it."

"What was it like?" she questioned. "Were you conscious?"

"Kind of." he struggled to find the proper words. "It was like the moment I was sealed was stretched to fill the entire time I was in the scroll. It hurt."

"How long were you in it?"

"Twelve days." he shuddered. "Kakashi found my scroll and brought it back here. Tsunade realized what had happened and broke the seal."

"How did she save you?" she asked simply.

"We don't..." he began. The door opened. Tsunade walked in, followed by Drake.

"We don't what?" the blonde woman asked curiously.

"We don't talk about that jutsu." he finished.

"I told you," she fumed at her former teammate. "That story is an S-Class village secret! I should have you thrown in prison."

"Blame her." Jiraiya pointed at TenTen. "She's the one who didn't believe me when I said I knew how he was probably feeling."

"For that...." Tsunade began. "You get to buy the sake for the next month."

Jiraiya's eyes went wide. "The whole month?"

"Prison." she deadpanned.

"Bein' blackmailed by the frickin Hokage..." he muttered, standing up.

She ignored him, turning to TenTen and Drake. "The council hearing is first thing tomorrow morning." she said as she moved to the door. "Get some rest."

"Alright." TenTen agreed, yawning.

"I mean it." the blonde woman said, her eyes coming to rest on TenTen. "No tiring him out."

"Brutal." Jiraiya chuckled, stopping at the door. "The man comes back from the dead and then you tell him he can't have any fun?" Tsunade's fists clenched. "I mean, 'Get some rest, It'll help you heal." The toad-sage amended, exiting in a hurry.

"Good night kids." she said with a smile.

"Good night Tsunade-sama." they replied in unison.

The Hokage turned on her heel and exited the apartment, closing the door behind her. TenTen took off her shirt, and began unwrapping the bindings around her chest as she walked into the bedroom. Drake just stared. "What?" she asked, turning and letting the last of her bindings fall to the floor.

"This is like dangling a perfect steak in front of someone with his mouth wired shut." he said, staring.

"That was the wierdest, most strangely flattering compliment I've ever gotten." she chuckled, slipping one of his oversized shirts over her petite frame. "Better?" He shrugged. "Coming to bed?"

"I'm not tired." he muttered. "Think I'll clean up the mess the _Legendary Sannin_ made of my living room."

"Yes you are." she said simply. "I can see it in your eyes. Come to bed." He sighed and took off his shirt, slipping under the covers. She slid into the bed beside him, her arms looping around the back of his neck. "I love you." she whispered, kissing him softly. He hugged her tightly, wrapping his arms around her waist. She cradled his head against her chest gently. "You don't have to fight by yourself anymore." she whispered. "Just let me know. I'll be right there beside you."

He felt all the tension leave his mind, and before he realized what had happened, he was asleep, riding the waves of a new feeling. He felt _safe_.

Eight hours later, Drake looked at the doors of the council chamber with undisguised reluctance.

"Come on." TenTen attempted to encourage him. "There's no way they're going to discipline you for saving somebody."

"The fact that we have a meeting scheduled at all means some of them are considering it." he muttered.

"Hey." she said simply, grabbing his hand and pulling him closer. "_I'm_ here. Cheer up."

"True." He smiled. He took a deep breath and pushed the door open.

"Welcome, Drake." Tsunade's voice rang out.

"Thank you Hokage-sama." he said, bowing.

"Please approach." she spoke. He walked to the center of the chamber, and felt TenTen do likewise, standing directly to his right.

"This hearing is being held at the request of our Council Elder, Danzou." she spoke firmly. "Who is pressing for disciplinary action against Drake, for his actions in the recent defense of our village from several Joinings."

"Danzou," she addressed the elderly man. "Please state your case."

"Thank you Tsunade-hime." he said, his tone emotionless. "My fellow Council Members..."

The door flew open. "Tsunade-sama!" Shizune's voice rang out as she ran to the Blonde woman's seat, a sheet of paper in her hand. Tsunade took it from her hand and read it quickly.

"This Hearing is postponed." she said sternly.

"This is prepostorous." Danzou began. "I demand that this boy..."

"Several Joinings have attacked a small village on the borders of the Wind Country." she cut him off. "The Kazekage has requested the services of our resident expert." Drake smirked. "Drake, you leave immediately." she ordered simply. "Select your team."

He turned to TenTen. She nodded her assent. "Naruto..." he said simply, still looking at TenTen. "You busy?"

Naruto smiled. "I'll get Sakura-chan."

**END FLASHBACK**

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"We're approaching the one-mile mark." Sakura's voice crackled through their earpieces. "We'll regroup in two minutes."

Drake and TenTen broke their kiss for air. "Copy that." TenTen panted. "We're at the boulder." She swept in for one last kiss, and the moment lingered.

"We really need to get sent on emergency missions more often." Drake muttered with a smirk. "If it puts you in this kind of mood."

"Wait til we get to Suna." she whispered huskily.

"We're here." Naruto's voice spoke over the radio. They stood up, straightening their clothes as Naruto and Sakura came into view. The other half of their team jogged up to the boulder.

"Alright." Drake said. "Let's go."

"No need." a voice said from behind him. The sand next to the boulder rose, forming a sphere about 8 feet wide, then dissolved, revealing the speaker. Drake's eyes were drawn to the gigantic gourd on the man's back, and then to the symbol on his forehead.

*_Love?_*

"Gaara." the man introduced himself simply.

"Drake." the tall man replied.

"The beasts are attacking again." Gaara said simply. "Let's go."

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	28. It is Found

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Shiru had never been quite as scared as she was at this moment. She didn't know what the monsters were or where they'd come from, but they had made the little village where she lived into a nightmare the moment they arrived. The village had been gathered in the festival grounds for her sixth birthday party. Her mother had said that her father was on his way. They were just passing out the cake when the screaming started.

Then she'd seen one of them. The sight had stopped her in her tracks. It had clawed the nice old man who lived next door, and he'd fallen down. He wasn't moving anymore. She saw it start biting him just before her mom had grabbed her and started running. He'd gotten her a blue ribbon for her hair. She hoped he'd be okay.

Her mother had run her out of the village, and toward the stone forest, a big field of sand and boulders and surrounded the village. She played hide-and-seek there with her friends sometimes. She looked over her mommy's shoulder and saw the rest of the party running also. A massive shadow with glowing eyes flew through the air to land on one of the villagers. More eyes glared at her from the darkness and she screamed. Her mother looked over her shoulder and ran faster, pushing her legs even harder to get them as far away as possible.

"Shiru!" she suddenly heard her father's voice in the distance behind them, "Shiru! Are you out here!?" She heard more of the monsters growling from the same direction, it sounded like they were getting closer.

"Shiru..." her mother whispered. "I want you to run, get as far into the stone forest as you can and find a good hiding place. Be as quiet as you can."

"O..." she managed between sobs. "Okay."

"I'm going to go get daddy," she smiled reassuringly. "And then we'll come find you." Her mother left her then, staying low to the ground and slinking between boulders toward the direction of her father's voice.

Shiru did likewise, sneaking through the forest of stones to her favorite hiding spot, a hole in one of the biggest boulders. Several minutes passed, Shiru saw a few of the villagers run past her, none of them spotting her inside the boulder. One of the monsters passed by also, and Shiru held her breath and wished it to go away. It did. Following after the villagers she'd seen moments before.

A long time passed, and it got very quiet all of the sudden. She couldn't hear any of the monsters, so she crept from her hiding place to look around. The stars were out, and the moon was full, the sight of the night sky almost made her forget why she was supposed to be hiding. Her moment ended when she heard one of the monsters roar in the distance, and then she heard her parents' voices scream.

"Mommy!" she screamed, unable to keep herself quiet. "Daddy!"

She heard a growl from beside her and spun around. One of the monsters was looking at her, crouching on a nearby boulder. She turned and ran as fast as she could, swerving around boulders. She heard the monster jump down behind her, and looked over her shoulder. It was coming closer. With her eyes on the monster, she didn't see the rock coming, and it caught her left foot. She spun as she fell, bringing her arms and legs up to protect herself. The ground hit before she thought it would, and seemed softer than it should have been.

"Mommy!" She cried out as she closed her eyes and waited for the claws and teeth.

Nothing happened. After a few seconds she opened her eyes. It looked like the ground had just reached up and grabbed the monster. A big hand made of sand was just holding it there. It was trying to break free, clawing angrily to get closer and snarling at her. The hand squeezed until she heard something crack, and the monster stopped fighting.

"Are you all right little one?" a calm voice asked from beside her.

She tore her eyes away from the monster and took in the source of the voice, a face she'd seen before. The man was pale, with red hair and a mark above one of his eyes and what looked like a big jar on his back. She then noticed another hand made of sand had caught her as she fell. She ran to the man's side. "Please!" she sobbed, grabbing his hand. "Help me find my mommy and daddy!"

He turned to her and gave a small smile. It was at that instant she saw a pair of glowing red eyes loom up behind him. Faster than anything she'd ever seen, a streak of silver flew from behind her to slam into the eyes.

"Thanks." The red haired man nodded to someone over Shiru's shoulder. Another hand made of sand appeared behind him and smashed down onto the monster.

"Are these your parents lass?" another voice spoke from behind her. She turned and took in the biggest man she'd ever seen. He was dressed in black, with a green vest, and a mask covering his face, his hair was messy, and she saw a swirled leaf shape on his headband. Her eyes met her father's as the man set him down, and gently eased her mother to the ground.

"Shiru!"

"Daddy!" she ran to him and buried her face in his shoulder, crying louder than she ever had. "Mommy?" she said after a few moments, untangling herself from her father. and rushing to her mother's side. The tall man had his hands clamped on the big part of her mother's leg. Shiru saw a lot of blood on the ground underneath.

"She'll be fine." he said nicely. "Gaara?"

"Sakura." the red-haired man said, touching one of his ears, "We've got a woman with a bite wound, near the east monolith, she needs help."

"Kazekage-sama." she saw her father suddenly stand up and bow.

"Our doctor is on her way." the man with the jar said simply. Her father nodded and moved to her mom's side. Growling and roaring sounds echoed through the boulders. The monsters were getting closer.

"How can I help?" her father asked the big man with her mother.

"See where my hands are?" the man gestured. "Apply pressure there." Shiru watched her father's hands take their place, and the big man rummaged around in his vest for something, eventually fishing out what looked like a red pebble and a small silver pill. Shiru felt her hands shaking. "What's your name?" he asked her.

Shiru just shook, the absence of her father's arms making her feel very cold. "What's your name?" the man repeated, a little louder.

"Shiru." the little girl said, still scared.

"Shiru," he said, pulling the mask down from his face and smiling kindly, "My name is Drake. We need to help your mommy. But to do that I need your help. Can you help me?" Shiru nodded, wiping the tears from her eyes. "Good," he nodded back, pulling his mask over his face again. He held up the little silver thing. "This will wake her up. When it does, I need you to talk to her to keep her from getting scared."

"Okay." The little girl nodded again. The man called Drake held the object under her mother's nose, and she woke up, looking around. "Mommy!" Shiru cried out, hugging her tightly.

"Shi...ru?" she muttered slowly.

"We're safe, dear." her dad said from his position at her mother's leg. "They have a doctor on the way."

A roar sounded about twenty feet from them, and Shiru saw a monster run into the clearing behind the man with the jar. The sand arm smacked it into a boulder, and the boulder cracked.

"You're safe." The red-haired man repeated.

Shiru noticed a pair of big knives had appeared in the man called Drake's hands. "You're losing a lot of blood." he said, turning to her mother as he put the knives away. He held the red pebble in front of her. "This is a blood pill. It'll help, but you need to stay calm. The faster your heartbeat, the faster you'll lose the blood this gives you." Her mother nodded and took it from him, chewing slowly. She shook her head and she hugged Shiru tightly, her other hand squeezing her father's shoulder.

"What's wrong Mommy?" Shiru asked, worried.

"I'm just glad to see you again Shiru-chan," her mother explained. "Don't worry."

The big man turned his head, holding a hand to his ear, the man with the jar did too. "I'm on my way." the bigger one said. Shiru wondered who he was talking to.

"Naruto," the man with the jar said, holding his ear. "I need your help with something."

The man called Drake reached into his pocket and pulled out two more of the red pebbles, handing them to Shiru. "If your mommy starts falling asleep, give her another pill." he instructed.

"Yes sir." Shiru nodded.

"I'll protect them," the man with the jar said simply. "Find the other refugees and bring them here."

The man called Drake nodded and walked over behind the man with the jar. "Take care of your parents, Shiru." he said from beside her. Shiru turned, but he was already gone.

"Thank you!" she called out into the night.

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"Everybody check in." Gaara's voice crackled over the radio.

"Almost to you." Sakura's voice broke the silence. "How's the woman?"

"Stable."

"I can't keep all of these things away from the people." TenTen's voice said breathlessly.

"I'm on my way there." Drake replied.

"Okay..." the young Kazekage continued. "We need to get all these people into one group. I can protect them while you four exterminate these things. Naruto?"

"Yeah?" the blonde's voice cut in.

"I need a clearing to work in, moving these boulders drains my chakra too quickly."

"On it."

"Bring the survivors to the clearing." Gaara's voice finished.

Drake straightened his tactical vest for what seemed like the hundredth time. The hawk had caught up to them just after meeting with Gaara, and the message it had carried was simple.

_Drake, Someone might be watching the Joinings with some kind of technique. Don't let yourself be recognized. No coat, no axe, wear a mask._

-Shikamaru

He felt vulnerable without his coat, and the sword, the biggest one TenTen's scroll had, felt far too light in his hands. The knives however, were almost identical to Shanks' pair, and the disguise was pretty good for having been improvised. He looked like a generic Konoha ninja, albeit a large one. He vaulted to the top of a boulder and leapt as high as he could, taking in the scene below him. The people were scattered throughout the stone forest, and there had to be at least a few dozen Joinings in the process of hunting them down.

*_So many..._* he thought inwardly, *_Shikamaru better explain this when we get home._*

He saw TenTen, her golden and silver swords a blur of perpetual motion, guarding a group of twenty or so people about a quarter of a mile away. He landed and powered his way toward her, leaping from boulder to boulder. A Joining rushed beneath him, pursuing a panicked trio of civilians as they swerved around boulders. Drake landed hard, smashing his heels into the creature's spine and ending it's struggles with a brutal hack of the sword.

"Stop!" he called out to the men, and they froze in their tracks. Another Joining reared up in front of one of the men, the moonlight glinting off of its talons. A pair of kunai lanced into its eyes, and it roared in pain. Drake landed beside the group and his sword came down between the knives, the beast dead before it felt the impact. "Stay close." Drake ordered simply.

"_PEOPLE!_" he bellowed at the top of his lungs. "_IF YOU CAN HEAR ME, FOLLOW MY VOICE!_" He heard TenTen shouting similar orders in the distance, Gaara doing likewise. "_COME TO ME!_" He roared.

He turned to the terrified looking villagers again.

"You need to be my eyes." he explained. "I can't cover all directions at once, if you see one of the beasts, yell." They nodded shakily. "Alright." he nodded, hopping atop the nearest boulder.

"_COME TO ME!_" he yelled again.

A Joining leapt to knock him from the boulder, missing him by a hair's breadth. His sword sang down, severing its head cleanly. The body twitched as it fell, and the head gnashed its teeth as it died. "Move." he ordered the group. "We're heading toward the moon, there's another group that way."

"_FOLLOW MY VOICE!_ Drake bellowed again. Four more people found the group, embracing their fellow villagers and sighing in relief. The men nodded and began walking, their eyes darting between the boulders in terror.

"LEFT!" one of them screamed as a Joining barreled toward the group, in pursuit of a woman. Drake appeared between the woman and the monster and slammed his sword into its chest, obliterating both of its hearts. The force of its charge knocked them both backwards into a boulder.

"Is everyone all right?" he asked as he heaved the body from on top of him. A chorus of weak replies reassured him. "Keep moving."

Another man ran toward the group screaming, two Joinings on his heels. Drake's sword flew through the air to take the lead Joining in the head, killing it instantly. Drake landed on the other's back, driving both of the heavy knives into its skull and wrenching them to one side. The group winced when the beast's neck snapped loudly.

"Are you hurt?" Drake asked the man, wrenching the knives free and cleaning them on the beast's fur. The man held out his arm, and Drake saw four parallel cuts. *_He's lucky... The claws barely winged him...._* "Who here has steady hands?" he asked simply.

"I do." One of the women raised her hand. "I'm... well I _was_... the town doctor."

"All right." He rummaged around his backpack until he found his first aid kit, handing it to the woman. "Don't let me down, Doc."

The woman stood up straight and nodded. "Okay." he heard her say. "We need to get that arm bandaged."

Drake smiled and turned from the group. "Sakura," he spoke into his earpiece, "I have a man here with an injured arm. We have the town doctor here, so it's not urgent."

"I just finished with Gaara's group." she responded. "Where are you?"

He jumped and checked his bearings. "About two thirds the way from you to TenTen's group." he estimated. "Heading towards her."

"On my way."

"_FOLLOW MY VOICE!_" he bellowed again, his voice echoing through the night.

"_Get your big ass over here and help me!_" he heard TenTen's voice echo in the distance. He smirked, looking down to the group. "Is he okay?"

"He should be alright for a while." The doctor nodded.

"We're heading this way," he said, gesturing with the sword. The group broke into a run, with Drake following their progress from above. The area suddenly seemed eerily calm. *_Where the hell are they?_* He heard an explosion, followed by a roar of pain from ahead, answering his question. "_FOLLOW ME!_" he bellowed into the night.

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"Stay close!" TenTen shouted to the group, her voice beginning to go hoarse.

The Joinings rushed in again, and she sprang to meet them. The Sword of Night in one hand, one of her newly fashioned shuriken in another. She hurled the shuriken into one of their faces, her modifications giving it more than enough stopping power, and drew her other sword. She spun like a dancer, swords lashing out in all directions while she dodged the talons and fangs that attempted to take her. After her second kill, the beasts retreated again, and a scream from behind her told her they'd gotten what they'd come for.

They were _learning_.

They would send a group in, and while she fought them, another would rush the refugees and drag one off to feed on. Between this and their travels before finding the clearing, her group of twenty was down to nine. She ran back to the center of the clearing, where the remaining villagers were huddled together, each clasping the weapons she'd given them.

*_It's only a matter of time before they realize that **I'm** what's between them and the villagers._* she thought darkly. As if on cue, she spotted two Joinings weaving through the boulders toward her. She channeled chakra into the soles her feet. The beasts reached the clearing and charged. She jumped toward them, releasing all the chakra in her feet at that instant. She flew between them faster than they could register, her swords extended to either side.

The blades sliced through the two massive necks without any resistance and the beasts fell, their teeth gnashing as their bodies refused to move. She turned toward the group of villagers and saw another red-eyed Joining leaping through the air above them. She started to channel more chakra into her feet, but knew she'd be too late.

Something huge and dark slammed into the Joining, knocking it behind a boulder beside the group. Her heart soared when she recognized the sword she'd given Drake rising behind the boulder, then falling with an audible crunch. She ran back to the group, letting the chakra slowly recede from her soles as Drake rushed to her. Neither of them said anything, he just swept her up with his free arm and held her for a few seconds, planting a quick kiss on her lips through his mask. Her arms snaked around his neck and held the kiss.

"You alright?" he asked as he set her down.

"I'm fine." she said simply. "How many did you find?"

"This many." Sakura answered, leading Drake's group to join with the others already huddled in the clearing.

"Quick question..." he gained her attention again. She raised an eyebrow. "Do you have any more of these?" he held up the sword she'd given him as if it weighed no more than a kunai. The edge was notched and dull.

She unfurled her scroll, looking for a specific seal. Two puffs of smoke later, he hefted the two new blades, whirling them around in a few quick exercises to get his arms used to the two weapon style again. A pair of roars sounded from just outside the clearing, and TenTen readied the Sword of Night and a handful of shuriken.

"Shuriken?" he asked skeptically.

"Special shuriken." She corrected, holding them up. They were bigger than normal, and he noticed several notches cut into the blades in a checkerboard pattern. "They're hollow. A new invention of mine."

A Joining bellowed and charged them. TenTen's new shuriken caught it in the eye. It kept coming, and Drake leapt to meet it. The beast swung at him, and then sprung away before he could return the favor.

"What's inside them?" he asked, leaping to stand between the beast and the villagers. It dropped to all fours and snarled, preparing to charge again. Drake readied his sword, and TenTen made a hand-seal. The Joining exploded, pieces flying to litter the nearby boulders.

"Four Exploding notes." she answed with a smirk. "...Each."

Drake blinked before regaining his composure.

"Okay..." Gaara's voice crackled over the radio. "Clearing is finished, bring the people back here."

"Easier said than done." Drake retorted. "I doubt we could get them back into those boulders willingly."

"I'll start clearing a path." Sakura said simply. "Naruto?"

"Yeah hon?" the blonde's voice returned.

"Start working on it from your end," she instructed. "We'll meet in the middle."

"Gotcha." A slight glow encapsulated the pink-haired medic's hands as she punched the nearest boulder, breaking it into tiny shards.

TenTen turned and walked back to the group, huddled together in fright. "Listen to me." she said simply. "The Kazekage is waiting about half a mile that way. We need to move as a group. My friends and I will protect you." She pointed in the direction from which Drake and Sakura had come.

"No way I'm going back into the boulders," one man said simply. "You can protect us here."

A chorus of agreements sounded from the group.

"_Listen!_" Drake growled, his voice chilling. "You can huddle here, and we _might_ be able to protect you when they come. Or you can go to _Gaara_ and he'll keep you safe while we _exterminate_ the damn things." Drake let the silence sit until a Joining snarled in the distance. "...Your choice."

The people stood and started shuffling toward the path Sakura was clearing.

"We've got one that can't walk." TenTen informed him, gesturing to a small boy. The boy was leaning on a girl who looked a couple years older.

"What's wrong?" Drake asked the boy.

"My leg's broken." he said, gesturing to his left knee. His leg was wrapped in bandages, and some blood had soaked through. "One of 'em swatted me aside when I was defending my big sister."

Drake smiled, and TenTen saw a twinkle of approval in his eyes. "Alright laddie." he nodded. "Are your arms strong?"

"Yes." he nodded. "Why?"

"You're going to need to hold on," he said, kneeling with his back to the boy. "I'll need my arms for dealing with the puppies."

The boy nodded and draped his arms over Drake's shoulders, grabbing handfuls of his tactical vest. Drake stood and chuckled inwardly. The boy weighed less than the weights he'd trained in. A roar sounded in the direction they were headed. Drake felt the boy shudder. "Hang on tight." he said calmly.

He jumped straight up, as high as he could, looking toward Gaara's clearing and trying to guage how long it would take for the path to be finished. He could see Naruto, a blur of orange, casually picking up boulders and tossing them aside.

*_How the hell is he....?_* he pondered. *_I'll have to ask later._* He started to fall back to the ground, and braced his legs for the impact. As he fell, Drake saw Sakura about a hundred feet ahead, shattering another boulder with a casual kick. The path was almost done. About twenty boulders remained in between the recently wed couple. He landed gently and heard the boy on his back let out the breath he'd been holding.

"Wow..." the boy said dreamily. "That was amazing." Drake smiled under his mask.

"Move." he heard TenTen order the group. The group began moving.

"Can you all run?" Drake asked. The group all agreed in various ways.

"Run." TenTen ordered, her voice stern. "And don't slow down, no matter what happens."

The group sped up, accelerating to a tired run. TenTen and Drake began to circle them, making sure no one place was exposed for too long. Sakura sped up her efforts, speeding from boulder to boulder like a pinball. Drake knew it was only a matter of time until one of the beasts tried its luck, and emptied his mind to keep his reactions sharp. The first snarl sounded behind him, and Drake heard an explosion a split second later. He spied a dark blur headed toward the people, and leapt to meet it, his swords coming in from either side of its neck. The swords met, and the Joining fell to the ground, lifeless.

"_Behind you laddie!_" Druss' voice thundered in his ears.

Drake's body spun, putting himself between the boy and the biggest Joining he'd ever seen. He spied the moonlight glinting off of the talons and threw himself toward it, burying both swords in the thing's chest. The gamble worked, and his side was hit with a gigantic palm, the claws only grazing him. The force of the blow cracked his ribs, and would've sent him flying if not for his grip on the swords. He fell into a coughing fit, tasting blood on his mask. The Joining sprang away, taking one of the swords with it. The other came loose. He drew a knife with his free hand, and sprinted to catch up to the group.

"Are you alright?" he asked the boy over his shoulder.

"I... I think so." the boy replied shakily.

*_Druss?_* Drake thought, confused. *_How the hell did you do that? You moved me!_*

"_I told you our link was stronger now._" The old axeman whispered. "_Focus on the fight. Keep the people safe._"

TenTen dispatched another Joining with the last of her custom shuriken, and drew her second sword. Drake kept pace beside her, coughing again. The people had almost reached Sakura when she shattered the last boulder, coming face-to-face with Naruto. The blonde man smiled as his eyes returned to normal and he made a familiar hand seal.

To Drake, it seemed like everything happened at once. Another Joining pounced from the boulders, and as he moved to intercept it, Naruto appeared, slamming what looked like a ball of pure light into the werebeast's stomach. The force of the blast blew the Joining in half, and Drake landed behind the man in orange. Another Naruto appeared next to him, and took the boy off of his shoulders, and Drake saw the rest of the clones doing likewise, picking up the villagers and carrying them the rest of the way to Gaara much faster than they themselves could move.

"Thanks." Drake managed, falling into another fit of coughing. The Naruto that had killed the beast looked concerned. "I'll live." he wheezed.

Drake, TenTen, Sakura, and the rest of the Naruto clones sped toward the clearing where Gaara was waiting. A Joining appeared from the shadows and charged toward Sakura. The pink-haired medic didn't even flinch, her fist just shot out reflexively. The punch folded the Joining in half and sent it halfway into a boulder some twenty feet away. They arrived at the clearing, and Drake saw what Gaara had been working on. There was a bunker made of sand in the middle of the clearing, its walls two feet thick, and a deep trench surrounding it like a moat. Drake saw a Joining leap across the trench, toward the door to the bunker. Seconds before it landed, a spike of sand shot out from the ground and impaled it through the chest. The beast thrashed and clawed at the sand, desperately trying to get closer. Smaller spikes erupted in all directions from within the Joining, ending its struggles.

"Gaara isn't really a subtle man when it comes to defending his people." Naruto chuckled, noting Drake's expression of horrified fascination. As they flew over the trench, Drake saw the remains of several joinings lying on the bottom.

"I've got this end handled." Gaara said simply, as they entered the bunker. The villagers were huddled in groups, crying for the lost or hugging those they'd found. There was a repeated poofing sound as Naruto dismissed his clones.

"Anyone hurt?" Sakura asked. Drake lifted the side of his shirt and showed the gigantic bruise starting at his midsection and disappearing up under the shirt. "Off with the shirt." she said simply, and Drake unzipped his vest and took off his shirt.

A green glow encompassed Sakura's hand, and she held it to his side.

"Just set the ribs," he said, wincing. "I can tolerate the rest 'til we're done."

She nodded, and Drake heard the cracking noises of his bones being set, grinding his teeth against the pain and looking out the door.

"Can I borrow that?" Naruto asked him, pointing to his sword. Drake tossed it to him. Naruto caught it and made a hand-seal. Suddenly the bunker was surrounded by hundreds of Naruto, each with an identical sword. The real Naruto tossed the sword back to Drake.

"Okay." Sakura nodded, turning to the villagers and began treating their wounds.

"Sneaky bastard..." Drake muttered at something in the distance as he replaced his shirt and vest. He turned to Gaara. "Can your bunker stay solid without chakra?"

"I compressed it." Gaara said. "It's sandstone."

"Can you act like you're casting a barrier?" he asked TenTen.

"Why?" she asked, completely lost.

"So I can blot out anyone who's watching without them recognizing me."

"I still don't follow." she said, still lost.

"Shikamaru said someone was watching for him." Gaara explained. "If someone this big walks out of the bunker, and then they just lose whatever technique they're using to watch, they'll know it was him. But if they see someone start a barrier, and then the technique goes out, they'll think the barrier did it."

"I can throw a basic barrier." TenTen nodded, making the hand-signs. "It won't really _do_ anything, but still. I still don't understand why we're doing this." The barrier expanded outward, and Drake took off his seal, pushing his power as far as he could. TenTen saw the torches in the bunker dim a little.

"All right." Drake nodded, his eyes tracking something in the distance. "Now that that's done, I need to go take care of something."

A Joining had appeared at the other edge of the clearing, a huge Joining with the hilt of a sword protruding from its chest. It glared menacingly at the group, but made no move to attack. Drake began walking toward it, hefting the remaining sword in his hand. He got to about twenty feet from it and stopped, his vision tunneling around the monstrous werebeast. He wasn't in the Stone Forest anymore, he was on the training grounds again, in broad daylight, and _this_ was the Joining that had taken his arm. He felt all the anger and pain he'd been through bubbling up inside of him, and for once, he let it out. He stabbed the sword into the sand and raised his fists.

The Joining roared and charged. Drake roared back and sprinted to meet it. Drake lowered his shoulder and slammed into the monster's chest, lifting it off the ground and sending them both sprawling. The Joining swept its talons out, but Drake rolled away, springing to his feet beside the monster. TenTen drew her swords and started to run to help, but Gaara's hand caught her shoulder, stopping her in her tracks.

"He needs help!" she said angrily.

"No." Gaara disagreed. "Look at his eyes."

Drake's eyes were the most focused TenTen had ever seen as he thundered a punch to the monstrous wolf muzzle, smashing the Joining's head to the side. It was like nothing else existed to him. He didn't even hear the explosions of Naruto killing the remaining Joinings in the distance. The jaws snapped shut inches from his throat, and he slammed a kick to its throat.

"He's reliving the fight." Gaara said simply. "He needs to win this on his own."

TenTen tried to pull away, but the Kazekage's grip was too strong. Drake spun a massive kick to the beast's chest, knocking it onto its back. It surged to its feet and grabbed him by the shoulders, flexing its muscles to tear him in half. One of his knives materialized in its left eye. It roared in agony as he grabbed the sword protruding from its chest, twisting the blade. The half-blind Joining threw him back the way he'd come, and he landed next to his other sword.

He lifted the second blade and whirled the two swords in a quick pattern, coming to a stop with one of them aimed at the beast's heart. It roared again, wrenching the knife from its eye, and charged. Drake sidestepped and swung the blades in a murderous arc, slicing through the beast's neck and severing an arm. The Joining roared, blood fountaining from the side of its neck, and attacked with desperation. Drake spun again, and the blades hacked through the monster's legs, hamstringing it. The monstrous Joining slumped to the ground roaring in anger as its legs refused to respond.

Drake turned and walked away.

The monster roared at his back as it flailed in the sand, unable to pursue him. He walked back to Gaara and TenTen at the door of the bunker.

"I needed to get that out of my system." he said simply. Gaara gave a barely perceptible nod.

Naruto landed outside and ducked walked into the bunker. "We're done." he said, his tone serious. "The stone forest is empty again."

"People." the young Kazekage spoke to the villagers, his tone serious. "We've gotten rid of the beasts. However, we're going to bring you to the Sand village until we can confirm that no others will be appearing. We leave immediately."

"We're tired..." one of the people said lamely.

"Naruto." Gaara turned to the spiky haired blonde. "Do you mind?"

"Master a clone technique and suddenly you're a public transportation system." he muttered under his breath, forming the shadow-clone hand seal.

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	29. Stunning Revelations

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TenTen kissed Drake fiercely, obviously intent on not wasting their first real time alone since his injury. Drake wrapped his arms around her waist and returned the kiss with equal force, their tongues fighting for dominance. Their mouths parted for breath, and TenTen's found its way to his neck. Drake felt tingling sensations course down his spine as she sucked and nibbled on the pulse-point there. Her hands wandered their way under the black muscle shirt he wore, lifting it over his head. His hands did likewise, moving with a mind of their own to cup and knead her breasts through her shirt. He felt himself being maneuvered toward the bed, and she shoved him onto it with a sultry chuckle once they were close enough. She slipped the shirt over her head, tossing it aside as she moved to straddle him. He moved to accommodate her...

...and rolled out of bed, waking up when his head hit the stone floor.

"Ugh..." he groaned in frustration as he pushed himself into a sitting position. The side of his head that he'd landed on throbbed.

*_What time is it?_* he glanced at the clock. _3:00 AM_. Only forty minutes had passed since they'd fallen asleep. They had arrived in Suna sometime after one, and each showered to rid themselves of the blood and sweat that had accumulated during the previous night's battle. After that, the sheer weight of what had happened had put them both to sleep very quickly. He glared balefully at the glowing numbers, willing time to pass so he could wake TenTen up. After about thirty seconds without success, he silently crawled back into bed and closed his eyes. It was no use. He was wide awake.

*_Dammit!_* He sighed and rolled out of bed again, this time taking care not to wake TenTen. Standing shakily, he looked around for his clothes. His eyes circled the empty room until they fell upon the huge scroll leaning against the far wall. He walked over and picked it up, gently unfurling it and examining the seals inside. *_I doubt forcing all of the chakra out of a scroll full of weapons in the vague hope my clothes would come out would end well..._* His eyes circled the room again, eventually making their way back to TenTen's sleeping features. She looked completely drained, dark bags under her eyes from the three-day trip and following battle. He couldn't bring himself to wake her up

"All right." he spoke to nobody in particular as he opened the balcony door. "Going for a walk in my pajamas then." He stepped outside and into the cool desert air. Had he looked back, he might have seen the devious smirk that spread across TenTen's features.

About ten minutes later, he was feeling more relaxed. He flew across rooftops, enjoying the simple sensation of utter freedom as he flew through the night air. He emptied his mind as he jumped, trying not to think, just feeling the wind, and the cool sandstone on his bare feet. *_Druss?_*

"Aye laddie." came the response in his mind.

*_Talk_* he said simply. *_How the hell can you move my body without me willing it now?_* He heard Druss sigh.

"I never was much good with all of this spiritual business." the older man said simply. "As far as I can tell. Our souls are linked somehow. Like I said, you took a bit of me with you when TenTen brought you back."

*_So where does that leave us as far as my privacy is concerned?_* Drake thought irritably.

"I can leave you alone if you want." The old axeman said tiredly. "Before you died I had to concentrate to watch you. Now I just have to concentrate to not watch you, and if I concentrate _while_ watching you." Drake's hands came up and balled into fists without him trying.

*_You can control me._* he thought. *_I don't like to be controlled._*

"Nor I laddie," Druss agreed. "I'll only step in if you're in danger."

*_If it's all the same to you then._* the younger man thought. *_I'd appreciate a little time alone with my thoughts._*

"Fair enough." Druss obliged. "Call when you're ready."

He circled the village a few more times, getting himself acquainted with the general layout of the buildings, before settling on what looked like an empty lot off to one side. He landed lightly, moving to the center of the lot and lying back to regard the night sky. The stars were brighter here even than in Konoha, the total lack of ambient light making the sky resemble a glittering sea of stars surrounding the full moon. He tried to empty his mind again, and an image sprung unbidden to his mind. TenTen. Shirtless. Like the dream. His hand unconsciously moved up to his neck, thumbing the spot where her attention had been in the dream. There was no mark. He sighed and tried to empty his mind again, using all the tricks he'd found in his many years of adventuring.

Nothing worked. He'd succeeded at getting Druss out of his head, but TenTen seemed eager to replace him. He heard the rustle of sand behind his position and turned his head slightly to regard the new arrival.

"Gaara." he addressed him. "Why are you still awake?"

"I don't sleep much." the young Kazekage said simply.

"Why not?" the tall man asked simply? "Stress from work?"

"No." Gaara said calmly. "I had problems sleeping when I was young. Now anything more than an hour or two feels like wasted time."

"I know that feeling." Drake admitted. "So why'd you really call me here?"

"What do you mean?"

"After seeing you fight, I know you could've handled the Joinings with a little help from your own village." the tall man reasoned. "So why me?"

"I owed Naruto a favor." the young Kazekage said simply.

"Naruto?"

"He sent me a letter, that one of the Konoha Elders was giving you trouble." the red-haired man said dismissively. "Asked if I could help. Then the Joinings attacked and it all sort of just fit together." Drake was startled by the simplicity of the answer.

"Thank you." he said, and meant it. "Danzou was really getting on my nerves."

"Also I wanted to see if you felt like sparring." Gaara said, his voice calm as ever.

"Sparring?"

"As long as I've been alive, I've had this control over sand." The red haired man waved a hand, and a pillar of sand rose in front of him. "I can't turn it off. It just happens by reflex."

"So?" Drake said, still not following.

"You can stop it," he said simply. "And I've never actually just sparred with someone. I've practiced, but I've never actually had someone get past my sand in a practice match."

"Okay." Drake said, hopping lightly to his feet and taking a fighting stance.

Gaara shifted his weight and settled into a relaxed fighting stance.  
Drake charged, and an arm of sand cannoned at him from Gaara's feet. The sand dissipated about ten feet from Drake, falling harmlessly to the ground. He kept going, and Gaara had to duck to avoid a punch. The red-haired man spun a kick toward Drake's shoulder. The big man caught Gaara's foot and pulled him off balance, throwing him several feet to land in a heap.

"How seriously are we sparring?" the tall man asked as the young Kazekage jumped to his feet. Gaara raised an eyebrow. "Hitting for real or just practicing?"

"Define _for real_." Gaara said stoically.

"_For real_ meaning; How far away is your hospital?" Drake chuckled.

Gaara pointed to the building next to the empty lot.

"Awesome." Drake chuckled.

"Ready?" Gaara asked, taking his stance again. Drake flew in and slammed a punch into his cheek, and the surface cracked. The red-haired man turned his head slightly.

"..interesting." Drake thought aloud, rubbing his bruised knuckles. Gaara said nothing, and Drake focused, sweeping his power to encompass the two of them before pulling it back. A layer of sand fell from Gaara's face and clothes. A massive fist made of sand swept forward to flatten Drake, and the tall man pulsed his power out toward it. The fist broke apart, but momentum kept the sand moving anyway.

Gaara had the novel sensation of losing control over his sand, a moment before the cloud of sand hit Drake, bowling him over. Gaara pulled on a pair of fingerless gloves as Drake stood and dusted himself off. Drake suddenly rushed toward him, his speed augmented by the lack of his normal gear. Gaara's hands came up reflexively, and a wall of sand rose between them. The Kazekage felt his control over the sand vanish again, and a fist punched through the falling sand to clamp onto the front of his shirt.

Drake dragged him through a waterfall of sand and into a punch that doubled him over and sent him flying through it again. As the sand cleared, Drake saw Gaara's hand shoot out, closing into a fist, and he stopped as though he'd caught something solid, dropping lightly to his feet. He raised an eyebrow.

"The gloves." The Kazekage explained, brushing the sand from his clothes. "Small packets of sand sewn into the knuckles."

This time Gaara moved faster than Drake could follow, to slam a punch into his ribs. Drake flew a good twenty feet, to land in a heap. "...Ow." he muttered, springing to his feet just in time to catch a glancing blow from another punch to his shoulder. The blow spun him, and he used the momentum to bring a knee into Gaara's midsection, lifting him off his feet. Drake's hand clamped onto Gaara's shoulder and slammed him into the ground, other hand poised for a fight-ending punch. The big man's fist thundered into his opponent's ribs, only to recoil as though he'd struck a stone wall.

"More sand?" Drake muttered, sweeping his power around the two of them again. The second punch had the desired effect, slamming into the smaller man and cracking a rib. Gaara's own fist lashed out, slamming into his stomach and knocking the air out of his lungs. Drake wound up for a third punch.

"Figures that I'd find you here of all places." a voice said from beside them. "And fighting Gaara no less."

"Shikamaru?" Drake said, releasing Gaara. Gaara nodded wordlessly as he caught his breath. "Yo." the shadow user said simply.

"Why are you here?" he asked. "I thought you were back home solving the Joining mystery."

"I figured it out a few hours after you guys left." he said boredly. "Did you get my message?"

"I did." Drake nodded.

"And?"

"Standard-issue gear is uncomfortable and awkward." the big man deadpanned.

"As opposed to pajamas?" Shikamaru chuckled.

"TenTen has all my clothes in her scroll." Drake said irritably. "And she passed out when we got to the village."

"So what did you find out?" Gaara asked simply, joining the conversation.

"I'll explain after you two get patched up." Shikamaru said lazily, and started walking toward the hospital. Ten minutes later, their injuries were gone. Shikamaru finally spoke as they left the hospital.

"We've been getting reports." he said, sounding bored. "Of individual Joinings popping up all over the countryside." Drake tensed. "Don't worry." Shikamaru reassured him. "Tsunade-sama formed a few teams for the sole purpose of hunting them down. They're being exterminated."

"Okay," Drake reasoned. "So we had the one Joining that took out Sasuke, and then the Joinings that were sent after me for killing it. Then we had this group we took out last night, and now these random occurrences across the rural areas."

"Firstly, in an assassination," he said simply. "There are three steps. First you Locate the target, then you take the target out." Drake nodded. "After you drop the target, what's the last thing you do?"

"Clear the evidence." Drake said simply.

"Confirm the kill." Gaara corrected him.

"Yes." Shikamaru confirmed. "You confirm the kill."

"I don't follow." Drake said simply. "Whomever is doing this has sent four waves at us."

"That was what I thought at first." the shadow-nin admitted. "But then I realized I was wrong."

"How so?" Gaara asked.

"The first Joining you fought," Shikamaru turned to Drake. "All alone out in the woods, living on animals and travelers. It would've taken it days, _weeks_ even, to reach any type of civilization." Shikamaru's words replayed in Drake's mind, sending a chill down his spine. _In an assassination...._

"I see." Gaara said. "The randomly placed single occurrences are all from the first stage. They've only just started reaching the areas where they interact with humans."

"Exactly." Shikamaru nodded. "It just threw us off that the others appeared so far after the first one."

"And once they found their primary target..." Drake began. "They sent in the second wave to kill it... to kill _me_."

"But why send the huge group that we killed last night?" Drake asked.

"To confirm the kill." Shikamaru said simply. "If I'm right, and someone is watching these things, the last they saw of you was you getting carted to Konoha Hospital after your fight at the training grounds. The village has a barrier, so whatever technique they were using on the Joining wouldn't have been able to follow."

"They didn't know if you survived," Gaara reasoned. "So they had to create a situation you would _have_ to respond to."

"This..." Drake muttered, his shoulders slumped. "This has been targeted at _me_ this entire time?" His companions were silent. "How many people?" he asked nobody in particular. "How many people? Shiru's whole village...? All because of me?"

Drake felt that he was being watched, and glanced into the shadow of the hospital to spy a woman with blonde hair and what looked like a giant metal slab on her back.

"That's my cue." Shikamaru said, a tiny trickle of enthusiasm entering his voice for once. "I'll talk to you again in the morning." The shadow expert jogged toward the woman, and she hugged him tightly, burying her face in his shoulder. He returned the hug with equal force.

"My sister Temari." Gaara said simply.

"She seems to be the exception to Shikamaru's apathy." Drake said emotionlessly.

"They live in different villages," the red-haired man said simply. Drake slumped down, leaning against the wall of the nearest building, and chuckled bitterly. "What?" Gaara asked.

"I'm just wondering if there was anything I could've done differently," he admitted. "So things wouldn't have ended up like this.."

"That kind of thinking is pointless." Gaara said harshly.

"What?" Drake said icily.

"There are always things you _could_ have done differently." the young Kazekage said simply. "But you didn't. So worrying about them is pointless."

Drake leapt to the roof of the nearest house, and began his slow trek back to the room. A few minutes later, he landed silently on the balcony and tiptoed back toward the room.

"Where were you?" TenTen's voice asked as soon as his silhouette appeared in the door.

"Went for a run." he said simply. "Ended up bumping into Gaara and sparring a bit, then Shikamaru happened, now I'm back and I need a shower."

He rounded the corner and she saw the emotion in his eyes. Without thinking she launched herself off the bed and pulled him into a hug. He wrapped his arms around her back, squeezing her like he never had before.

"What's wrong?" she asked, sounding worried.

"I don't want to talk about it." he said simply. She was about to press for more answers when she saw the tears glinting in the corners of his eyes. "I'll be out in a few minutes." he said lamely.

She nodded.

Two minutes later, Drake shut the water off. Drying himself off slowly, he pondered how to tell TenTen. Donning the clean pair of pants TenTen had deposited at some point during his shower, he took a deep breath and opened the door. In all the years that would follow, he would never forget the sight that greeted him.

TenTen stood just outside the door, wearing nothing but a smile, her hair was down around her shoulders, and the light from the bedside lamp gave her skin a golden hue. Drake just stood, still as a statue, transfixed by the sight before him. She covered the distance between them instantly and pulled him down into a kiss, but where their normal kisses were raw and passionate, this was tender and loving. Her arms wrapped around the back of his neck and she held the kiss. He wrapped his arms around her back and held her tightly until the kiss broke. She rest her forehead on his as they caught their breath.

"You don't have to talk until you want to." she said between breaths. "Just let me show you how much I still love you." She pulled him into another kiss, this one significantly more heated on both sides, and began to slowly backpedal toward the bed. After several increasingly passionate kisses, they finally reached the bed and TenTen reclined onto it, beckoning Drake to follow.

Drake took his place beside her, and she pulled him into another kiss, running her fingers through his hair as his hands wandered over her lower back and hips.

"Suppress your power." she whispered into his ear when they broke for air. "And listen to my voice." He closed his eyes pulled his power into as tight a ball as he could, bringing it well within his own head. "Relax..." her voice drifted in seductively, sending a tingling sensation across all his nerves. "Open your eyes."

He did so. Black. Pitch Black, far as the eye could see. He couldn't see anything, until TenTen pulled him into another kiss. Then he saw her. It was like nothing else existed. She was his entire world. "Gen...jutsu." he managed between kisses.

"Like it?" she purred, "Your senses don't work unless I want them to." He realized she was right. He couldn't feel the bed underneath them. He couldn't smell the desert air. He couldn't hear the wind. She was all that existed. "So if I touch you here." He felt her mouth attach itself to his neck like it had in his dream. She nibbled and sucked playfully, sending little jolts of sensation through his body. "Or if I touch you here." Her warm hand slipped under the waistband of his pants and wrapped around him. "I have your _undivided_ attention."

Drake groaned and arched into the touch, hands exploring TenTen's body. He'd always had sharp senses, and he'd relied on them more than anything in his years of being hunted. Having all of them cut off and being completely at her mercy was the single most electrifying experience he'd ever had.

His eyes went dark again and he went on the offensive, pushing her onto her back as one of his hands worked its way down her well-toned stomach. He moved the hand slowly, mapping her perfect physique with his touch. It traveled further, and further, and he gently eased a finger inside her. TenTen moaned and arched into his touch, the sound filling his ears. He pushed the digit further, working his free hand in lazy circles over her back and shoulders as he nuzzled her neck, exploring with his touch. He worked his way from her collarbone to the side of her neck, nipping and biting gently, marking her as she'd marked him. She was breathing heavily now, the sound all that he could hear. He slid himself further down the bed and worked a second finger into her core, his thumb making its way toward her clitoris.

A throaty moan accompanied by another thrusting of her hips told him that he'd found his target. He kissed his way down to capture one of her nipples with his mouth, flicking his tongue across it teasingly. Her hands wrapped around the back of his head and held him there. He started to flutter his fingers inside of her, moving them back and forth like the legs of a swimmer, his thumb describing lazy circles over her clit as his tongue teased her nipple. Her nails scraped down his back and her hips bucked as she screamed in ecstasy. Almost immediately he felt her inner muscles clamp down on his fingers and slowed down his ministrations, eventually easing his fingers out of her.

He opened his eyes. He still couldn't see. Amazingly, she was still sustaining the Genjutsu. He felt her arms withdraw from his back shakily and was flipped onto his back. "Your turn..." she said huskily from above him, just before her mouth captured his in a ferocious kiss. The kiss ended sooner than he'd hoped, and she pulled away from him, pushing him down when he tried to follow. He felt her breath on his neck again, and felt her hand return to it's previous position as she lifted her body off of his. All he could feel was her warm breath on his neck and the smooth motion of her hand as it stroked him. He tried to kiss her, aiming without his eyes to where he thought she was. She dodged the clumsy attempt and her mouth fastened on the unblemished side of his neck, sending shocks of electricity coursing through his body as her hand sped up.

He groaned and arched into her touch, unable to hear his own voice. He felt and heard her chuckle from her place on his neck. Her mouth left his neck, and she blew teasingly on the wet spot she'd left, sending chills down his spine. The hand sped up even further. He felt his climax building, but just before he tumbled over the edge the hand stopped. He groaned at the loss of sensation.

"Not yet..." she purred into his ear sending butterflies to his stomach. Nothing reached his senses until he felt her warm mouth replace the hand, and moaned anew at the sudden rush of feeling. She moved up and down, and her tongue swirled around the head, the sudden intensity sending him back to teetering on the edge. Just before he could release, she stopped again, and all his senses were blank.

No feeling reached his brain for what seemed to his sense-deprived mind to be hours, but then he felt her breath on his neck again, and she lowered herself onto him. His hands went to her hips reflexively and pulled her down until they were flush at the hip, groaning at the tightness of her embrace. She started to move her hips, sending jolts of pleasure through the both of them. "Open your eyes." she whispered.

He did, and he stared into the brown eyes of a goddess as they both ground their hips together. His senses returned, and the sheer amount of sudden stimulation sent his nerves into overdrive. The smell of her hair, the feeling of her body pressed against his, the sound of her breathing, and the sight of her face all combined to send him over the edge.

"I love you, Drake." she said, and pulled him into a fierce kiss. Her hips pumped even harder, both of them thrusting in unison as they climaxed together, screaming into the night.

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	30. At the Seams

Author's Note: I spent about the last two weeks rewriting all of my older chapters, so if you have the time, I'd highly recommend reading the story again from the beginning.

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Drake sighed happily and wrapped his arms around TenTen. They'd finally managed to tire each other out, and now were just lying in bed and watching the sun rise. He felt her breathing deepen and realized she'd finally fallen asleep, loosening his grip to let her lie more comfortably. He felt himself starting to doze, but something snapped him awake. After a few seconds, the sound came again and he realized what it was. Someone was knocking on their door. Moving slowly, to avoid waking her, he slid from the bed and put on his clothes, moving to answer the door. Shikamaru was there, looking slightly more serious than usual.

"Morning." Drake said tiredly.

"Morning." Shikamaru returned. "We need to talk. Follow me."

Two minutes later, as they sprang across the rooftops of the sand village, Shikamaru finally spoke again.

"There's someone here to see you." the shadow-user said simply, dropping into an alley.

Drake followed, coming face-to-face with the person he least expected.

"Tsunade-sama?" he asked, bewildered. "What the hell are you doing this far from the village?"

"I'm a shadow clone." she supplied simply, her tone serious. "I'm just here to talk to you."

"What's wrong?" he was suddenly concerned.

"Do you know who is sending the Joinings?" she asked, searching his eyes for any sign of deception.

"No." he answered evenly, meeting her gaze. "I don't."

She stared into his eyes for a few more moments before speaking. "I'm sending you on another solo mission." she explained. "A long-term mission."

"Why?" he asked.

"Danzou has the council in an uproar about the attacks." Shikamaru cut in, a little too bluntly. "At this point, they're debating on whether to throw you in jail or just kick you out of the village."

"What?" Drake's eyes went wide. His chest felt tight.

"You can't go back to the village." Tsunade answered. "I'm sending you on this mission to keep you safe."

Drake just stared at the ground for a few moments, then remembered he'd been spoken to. "What do you want me to do?"

"Our trackers found where the Joinings that attacked you came from." she explained. "It looks like whoever made them arrived by boat, on one of the shores of the Fire Country. The tracks indicate that the Joinings were made on that beach, and then they headed straight for the village."

"Straight for me." he corrected. "What does this have to do with the mission?"

"They found _this_ on the beach." she said, tossing him something that glinted in the morning light. He caught it deftly, turning it in his fingers. It was a golden coin, about an inch across, with an elaborate crown on each side. He tossed it back to her, a look of disgust on his face. "So you know it?" she asked. It wasn't really a question. "Where's it from?"

"_Sharn_." he spoke the name like it left a bad taste in his mouth.

"Sharn." she repeated as if testing the name. "A place you're familiar with?"

"The place I grew up." he muttered. Tsunade's eyes widened. "Is this where the Joinings are being made?"

"As far as we can tell." she admitted.

He sighed defeatedly. "So what do you want me to do?"

"We need you to track down whoever is making these things." she explained.

"and then?" he raised an eyebrow.

"Stop them." she said simply. "See to it that they never make another Joining."

"So kill them." Drake surmised. Tsunade  
was silent. Drake closed his eyes and leaned back against the wall of the alley, sighing heavily. "It took me eighteen years to escape that damned country." he said quietly. "Now you're sending me back, alone?"

Tsunade's silence continued, and her eyes fell to the ground.

"They'll have Suna's ANBU watching for when you leave." Shikamaru reasoned. "If you don't head back to the village, they'll alert the advance teams."

"Advance teams?" Drake asked, confused.

"Danzou has already dispatched a few of our own ANBU teams to wait between here and Konoha in case you run." Tsunade explained, breaking her silence.

Drake just stared at the ground. "I have one errand to run before I leave." he said simply. "Shouldn't take me more than an hour."

"You aren't to tell anyone about this mission," Tsunade spoke sharply, the words twisting in his gut like a knife. "As far as the rest of the village is concerned, as soon as you leave, you are a fugitive."

"I'm not going to tell anyone." he muttered. "There's just something I'd like to do before I leave." He turned and began to walk out the alley, headed the opposite direction from where he'd come. "Can I ask for one favor?"

"Yes." Tsunade said without her usual ambiguity.

"Tell TenTen the truth." he said simply. "I don't care about all this political bullshit with Danzou. She deserves to know."

"All right." Tsunade agreed.

"Thank you Tsunade-sama." he turned to leave, coming face-to-face with Tsunade again. He hadn't heard her move. He just looked at her, waiting for her to move. Her eyes were sad, and he read the expression. She didn't expect him to come back. A few moments later she did what he least expected, stepping in and pulling him into a strong, protective hug.

"I'm sorry things turned out this way." she said quietly.

"That makes two of us." he admitted, struggling to keep the bitterness out of his voice. He felt her tense at his words and returned the hug.

"Don't die." she said, squeezing him like he was her own child. "That's an order."

He didn't answer. She loosened her grip and he walked past her again, stopping just before he was out of earshot. "Thank you for saving me."

And then he was gone.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Forty minutes later, he flew across the rooftops as he headed back to the room he'd shared with TenTen. He hoped she'd be there. He didn't want to leave without at least seeing her one more time. He landed on the balcony and paused. Donning his normal facial expression, he stepped into the room.

She wasn't there. His eyes were drawn to a small piece of paper with a note scribbled on it.

_We all went out to breakfast. The restaurant is two blocks south of Gaara's office. See you there. Love you._

_-TenTen_

His heart leapt to his throat and his facade shattered. He felt tears welling in his eyes but fought them down. Something caught his eye in the corner of the room. TenTen's scroll was unfurled, and his gear was lying neatly on top of it. He changed quickly, setting his various weapons in their respective places. His attention was drawn to the backpack, which he was fairly certain he'd left in Konoha. He opened it curiously. His cookpot, canteen, first aid kit, compass, spare clothes, even his books, everything was exactly as it had been when he'd first walked into Konoha. He pulled out his old map, tattered and worn, and studied it for a moment.

The nearest port was in the river country, and from there he could book passage out onto the sea. It was almost directly west of the sand village, and was the quickest way out of the desert, where he could easily be tracked. However, it meant going closer to Konoha.

*_I'll have to risk it._* he reasoned, replacing the map and throwing his pack over one shoulder. He glanced back to the table, and TenTen's note. Tsunade had told him not to talk to anyone, but he couldn't bring himself to just leave. Tearing a fresh sheet from the notepad, he sat down and tried to think of what to say. He stared at the paper for almost an hour, unable to come up with any words. Eventually he forced his hand to move, writing the simple message.

_TenTen._

_Thank you. For everything. It was worth it all just to have met you._

_I love you._

_-Drake_

His heart thudded again, the bandage above it stinging as he wrote his name and set the note down. All he wanted was to go to TenTen, take her in his arms, and tell her everything. He forced himself to stand and walking out of the room. He felt anger building within him, anger at Danzou for trying to have him jailed, anger at Tsunade for ordering him to leave, anger at whoever had come from Sharn for making the Joinings for starting all of this. The anger built to a fever pitch, and he let it blot out the pain. His limbs moved with newfound strength, sending him flying across the rooftops to exit the village.

Four hours later, speeding across the dunes of the endless desert, his mood hadn't improved. He was running more on anger than actual energy, leaping high into the air as he flew from one peak to another. His eyelids were heavy as he crested another particularly large dune and took a flying leap. His eyes drifted shut, and he felt himself falling asleep, but the moment was cut short. Landing badly, he smashed shoulder-first into a dune and rolled down the side in a spray of sand. He stood, shouting curses at the unrelenting desert.

*_You all right lad?_* Druss's voice broke the angry silence in his head.

"What do _you_ think?" the younger man asked irritably, standing and shaking the sand out of his clothes. "I'm running away from the only home I've ever had, and the only girl I've ever loved. Running back to _Sharn_, of all places... to go fight someone who in all likelihood has an army of Joinings waiting for me. And I'm doing all of this alone, did I miss anything?"

*_You still have me._* Druss said without humor.

"Proof of my sanity." Drake said with scorn. "The voices in my head are still here, so everything must be all right."

*_You're exhausted, boy._* the older man's voice rumbled in his head. *_Your temper is showing._*

"I'm fine." the younger man snapped.

*_I mean exhausted up here..._* Drake's right arm moved of its own accord, bringing up a finger to tap his temple. *_You've had one hour's sleep since you left Konoha._*

"Forty minutes." Drake corrected.

*_That was four days ago._* Druss deadpanned. A long silence lingered, and Drake felt his anger draining away, replaced by bone-numbing fatigue as he forced his limbs to keep moving.

"I'm lost, Druss." he admitted after what seemed like an hour. "Everything in me just wants to go to wherever TenTen is. But if I do, they'll just throw me in jail. What do I do?"

Druss thought for a moment. *_Do you plan on following the blonde's orders?_*

"Yes." the younger man nodded after a couple seconds. "You, of all people, should know. I can't let whoever made these things keep killing innocent people."

*_All right._* he could hear the approval in Druss' voice.

"So what do we do?" Drake asked tiredly as he built up speed again.

*_First thing's first._* Druss's voice said reassuringly. Drake felt his limbs move with newfound energy as he lost his control over them. *_Get some rest. You'll be no use when they catch up to us if you're dead on your feet._* Drake nodded, his eyes drifting shut. He then had the novel sensation of falling asleep while his body was still running.

When he came to, he was back in bed in Suna, with TenTen sleeping peacefully in his arms.

*_So it was all just a nightmare._* He lifted his head and glanced around. The room was exactly as he remembered, with their clothes scattered around from their antics earlier that morning. The sun was rising, bright rays of light framing TenTen's beautiful face. She stirred, but didn't wake up, snuggling into his chest. He squeezed her tighter and lowered his head onto the pillow. Just lying in bed with his arms around the girl he loved, he felt completely at peace. Before he realized it, he'd drifted back to sleep.

He suddenly snapped awake. He was sitting. Turning, he took in the scene around him. The stars were out. He was sitting near a campfire, facing the shore of one of the many nondescript rivers that perforated the river country. He remembered the dream and fought back the tears rising into his eyes, cursing himself for being so soft.

*_Bad dream?_* Druss asked, feeling the mood blanket the younger man's mind.

"No." Drake answered simply. "Good one."

*_I'm sorry._* Druss said, understanding.

"How long was I out?" he asked after a few minutes, still feeling TenTen's absence like physical pain.

*_About ten hours._* Druss answered. *_I have to say, laddie, you can move like the wind._* Drake noticed his cookpot hanging over the fire, its contents bubbling. *_I made stew._* Druss explained simply.

"What's in it?" the younger man asked, peering into the pot cautiously.

*_Two rabbits, and some herbs._*

"I didn't know you could cook." he admitted quietly as his stomach rumbled.

Two bowls of stew later, he realized he was being watched. The hairs on the back of his neck stood up, and he heard sounds, almost too faint to pick up, just beyond the firelight. He closed his eyes and listened. Breathing. _Incredibly_ quiet breathing.

*_Druss._* Drake thought. *_I'm going need your help here._*

*_What do you need me to do?_* Druss' voice replied.

*_Pull my punches._* Drake thought coldly. *_I can hear at least three, and if they're ANBU I can't hold back if I want to walk away from this fight. Make sure I don't kill anyone._*

*_All right._*

"How long are you going to just sit there and watch me?" Drake asked loudly, shattering the silence as he set down the empty bowl. He heard the breathing stop. There was a blur of motion and Drake found himself staring at the emotionless masks of three ANBU operatives. "If any of you are hungry, help yourselves." he said simply, dropping Snaga and walking to lean against a nearby tree. "You've been traveling nonstop and I'd hate to see the food go to waste."

To his surprise, they took his offer, moving to sit in a loose circle on the opposite side of the fire. Three men, they all moved with perfect balance. One stood a few inches taller than the rest, his build more muscular. They were taking turns to eat. One would turn away, lifting his mask to eat while the other three just watched Drake intently. They wore standard ANBU gear, light armor on the torso and arms, sword on the back, and black cloaks and masks to obscure their identities.

"I don't suppose there's any way you could just eat some stew and be on your way." he muttered.

"That is not possible." one of ANBU watching him said simply. They stood up, expecting him to run. "We're here to take you back to Konoha."

"All right." Drake sighed, putting his headphones in his ears and closing his eyes. "Let me know when you're done and we'll do this." He thumbed the tiny device in his pocket and turned the music off, listening intently.

*_What are you doing lad?_* Druss asked. *_Why aren't you trying to escape?_*

*_They know I can't outrun them. So they know we're **going** to fight. I'd rather have them as friends for a while than just enemies._* Drake paused, listening. He turned his head, calling over his shoulder into the darkness. "I know you're there." he said simply. "Come eat something. We can be friends until the food is gone." The breathing in the trees stopped for a moment, and then Drake heard the ANBU appear next to the fire, amongst the others. He opened his eyes. It was a woman, in standard ANBU gear, with an extra satchel on her hip. *_Probably the medic then._* he reasoned.

After about twenty minutes of silence, the stew was gone, and the ANBU all stood, hands on their weapons. The fire died as Drake swept his power outward. His eyes opened.

Suddenly the big ANBU was gone, reappearing beside Drake with his sword swinging down in a murderous arc. Drake barely managed a block, bringing one of his armguards into the path of the blade. As he blocked, he slammed a punch into the man's stomach, feeling his fist slow slightly just before it hit. The punch doubled the nameless ANBU over and threw him into a tree. Another ANBU appeared behind him at that moment, his blade raking across Drake's back. The rings of his coat held, and he swung a kick at the attacker. The man blocked the kick and jumped away.

Drake felt his power being pulled inward and the hands of the two ANBU who hadn't attacked flew through a series of hand seals. A massive fireball flew from the two of them toward him. He leapt back, noticing what looked like a piece of paper stuck to his boot as he did so.

*_A seal..._* he realized, reaching down to tear it off as he landed, his back to the tree he'd been leaning on. His power swept out again, but the fireball managed to scorch one of his arms as it dissipated. No sooner had he torn it off, the other two ANBU appeared, swords held ready to impale him to the tree.

He ducked under one blade, and another stabbed into his coat. Once more, the rings held. He brought a knee into the abdomen of the big one he'd already hit, feeling a few of the man's ribs crack under the force of the blow. The two who'd thrown the fireball appeared, each swinging a kick toward his head. He ducked the kick and rolled away. As he rolled, he felt something hit his back, and his power was forcibly suppressed again.

Springing to his feet, he threw off his coat, noticing the three seals stuck to it. His power swept out again and he drew one of Shanks' knives. The ANBU regrouped. The big one was down, and he wasn't getting back up. The woman appeared beside him and her hands started glowing, confirming Drake's suspicions.

The one with his sword drawn dissappeared again, and sheer instinct brought Shanks' knife up to deflect the attack from above. Drake's hand snaked out, grabbing the man's leg and swinging him into the trunk of the tree. The man fell motionless and Drake noticed his power receding a moment too late. He spun around just as a massive blast of air slammed him into the tree, slicing his skin and clothes like it was made of a dozen razors. A sword lanced into his left shoulder, pinning him to the tree like an insect and sending Shanks' knife falling from his fingers.

Drake snarled in pain and held out his other hand. Snaga flew into the waiting palm, and he brought it upwards, slicing through the sword that held him transfixed. He slid off of the sword blade, dropping to one knee. Another blast of wind slammed him into the tree and tore his tattered shirt off. He felt blood running in rivulets down his arm, and the burns on his other. Red-hot rage blanketed his mind.

He forced his power outward. The sword-wielding ANBU rushed in, moving to stab Drake through the chest. The tall man stepped into the attack and caught the masked ninja's sword arm in one hand, slamming his other into the elbow. There was an audible snap, and the ANBU cried out, the sword dropping from nerveless fingers. Before the man recovered, Drake slammed a punch into his face, Druss managed to slow the hit, but the man was still knocked unconscious, his mask cracking.

Drake caught the front of the man's uniform as he fell and swung him toward the woman as she appeared beside him, the weight of her teammate bowling her over. She threw the man off and attacked, swinging a punch which he caught without effort as her other hand hooked around with a kunai. He caught it at the wrist. He lifted her off the ground, his hands like vices, and the kunai fell from her fingers. The nameless woman brought a kick up, but he caught it with his own knee.

"I'd rather not have to hurt you." he said coldly, dropping her to the ground. "Go home."

Something moved to his right, and Drake took an instinctive step back. *_Another one?_* The girl drew another kunai, impossibly fast, and slashed, making him jump back to avoid having his throat slit. He heard the hiss of wires being drawn tight and cursed aloud as he felt the thin filaments wrap around his body and slam him into a tree. The impact knocked the wind out of his lungs and forced the weapons from his hands. He felt a pressure building inside his head. He reflexively pushed outward with his power and the pressure increased, building to an excruciating pain behind his forehead.

He glanced down to his arms and saw several seals pinned to his body by the wires. Glancing up toward the medic, he saw the other ANBU, the one who had remained hidden to set the trap. He registered a small spherical object flying toward him in the darkness. He realized what it was a moment too late, and the flash-bomb detonated. Searing white light speared into his dilated eyes like a pair of red-hot spikes. He roared in pain, seeing nothing but bright spots.

He thrashed and flexed his muscles, trying to break free. The wires held firm, slicing into his skin. Closing his agonized eyes, he focused on the sounds around him. The two ANBU were moving closer, and he heard the hiss of their swords being drawn.

"You're clearly too dangerous to be taken alive." a deep male voice spoke. "Goodb..." Drake heard a sharp impact, and then the familiar thud of a body hitting the ground. Footsteps approached him, and he heard a sword being sheathed and a kunai being drawn.

"We have to get you out of here." a familiar voice spoke as the wires were cut.

"Ino..." he said, his voice cracking as he collapsed into her arms.

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	31. Company

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"Ino." Drake's voice cracked as he fell. He felt her arms catch him and ease him to the ground, resting his head in her lap. The pressure in his head vanished as she removed the various seals, and he let out a sigh of relief. He felt her hands move to cover either side of his shoulder and groaned as he felt the flesh the sword had split knitting back together.

"You're a mess." she muttered. "As usual."

"What are you doing Ino?" he asked, hearing the smirk in her voice. "Isn't this kind of aiding a fugitive?"

"This is why Tsunade-sama put me on the team." she explained simply. "I'm your backup."

"Fantastic." he muttered, wincing as she worked on the torn muscles.

"Besides." she admitted. "All ninja fantasize about leaving the village once in a while."

"Why?" he asked, oblivious. "The village is great."

"When you've been in the military since you were twelve years old." she said simply, releasing his shoulder. "Escaping and being free for a while sounds awesome."

"I've been on the run since I was eleven." he supplied without any malice. "Freedom for you must be like having a home is for me."

"What's this?" She changed the subject, one of her hands moving toward the small bandage on his chest.

"Leave it." he said, grabbing her hand. He tried to sit up, his face rubbing against something soft and yielding. His ears picked up a barely audible gasp. *_What the hell?_* He suddenly realized where his face was in relation to her chest. *_Oh..._*

He felt her hand tremble and released it.

"Sorry Ino, I didn't mean to..." He opened his eyes and sharp burning pain greeted him. He cried out as the lids reflexively snapped shut. "My eyes..." he muttered, sounding uncharacteristically vulnerable. "My eyes are ruined."

"No they aren't." She said reassuringly, glad of the distraction. He felt her palms settle into place over his eyes and felt, rather than saw, the warm green glow encompass them. "Open them."

He did. Pain like liquid fire lanced into his skull, but he somehow managed to keep them open. It felt like a cool wind was blowing into his eyes, slowly extinguishing the flames. After a few minutes, he could tolerate it. After a couple more, the pain was gone entirely. His eyes drifted closed.

"Good as new." she said softly. "Try them now." He did, and found himself looking up into her familiar blue orbs, her expression strangely tender. The contact lasted for a few seconds before he spoke.

"Thanks." he said simply, blushing under her gaze. He glanced around the clearing, taking in the moon and the stars, the trees, the four ANBU lying in various positions, unconscious. Her hand moved to his forehead, feeling cool as the burns from the flashbomb were eased from his features. Noticing what looked like a dark ring around her wrist, he realized what it he'd done to her in the fight. "Sorry."

"For what?" she asked, following his gaze to the bruises around her wrists. "Oh, it's okay." she muttered. "You didn't know it was me."

Finally his face felt normal again, and her hands moved to the burns on his other arm. Once those were gone, her hands began erasing the countless little cuts the wires had left. His hand brushed hers away.

"I'll live." he said simply, gesturing to the ANBU strewn around the clearing. "Fix _them_."

Thirty minutes later, the ANBU were all healed enough to make it back to Konoha, but not enough to follow them. Drake watched as Ino moved to the one she'd knocked unconscious and her hands flew through a complex series of seals.

"What are you doing?" he asked, alarmed. She ignored him, focusing on the seals, and then finally, her hands came to rest on the man's temples. She tensed, and he saw sweat start to bead on her forehead. This lasted for a minute or so, then she stood again, swaying a little. Drake moved to support her. "What did you just do?"

"Tweaked his memories a bit." she said tiredly. "Now he thinks _you_ knocked him out."

"You can do that?" he asked, bewildered.

"Never tried before." she admitted. "Think I might've used a bit too much chakra though." He fished his pill case from the pocket of his coat, offering her a soldier pill. She crushed the tiny pellet between her teeth, shaking her head as it cleared. "Thanks."

He let her go, and she stood shakily. "We need to get moving." he said after a few seconds. "There's bound to be another ANBU team around here somewhere and we still have a few hours until we reach the port."

"So that _is_ where you were headed." she thought aloud. "They sent teams to the four nearest ports. My team was headed to this one."

"We need to find someone who's willing to get us near Sharn." he said as they started to move.

"Near it?" she asked, matching his speed easily. "Wouldn't it be simpler to just go _to_ it?"

"All the ports in Sharn are controlled by the church." he said simply. "They ask too many questions."

She nodded. "Once we get in, is there anyone there that we can trust?" she asked.

"I know one." Drake nodded. "The other two are maybes."

"As in _maybe_ we can trust them?" she asked, curious.

"As in _maybe_ they're still alive." he corrected. "We also need to get you some new clothes."

"What's wrong with my clothes?" she asked defensively.

"You'll draw too much attention with all the mesh and the ninja sandals." he explained simply, turning to eye her oufit. "And the lack of pants." She blushed. "We also need to find you some weapons that don't scream '_I'm a ninja._'."

Her hands strayed unconsciously to her ANBU-issue katana and kunai pouches. "All right."

The rest of their run was silent, and about six hours later they arrived in the nameless port town. The town looked less-than-impressive, with most of the buildings made of driftwood. They turned a corner onto a street that appeared to be made of bars, seedy drinking establishments literally lined up one after another. Drunken deckhands were passed out all over the place, and a few fights were happening further down the street.

"We need to find a boat." Drake finally broke the silence, thinking as they walked down the street. "But you should probably handle the negotiations."

"Why?" she asked, confused.

"We'll get a better price. People don't like me." he said simply. "It's bad for haggling."

"Did you ever think things might go better if you didn't walk into each situation thinking _people don't like me_." she challenged. She saw irritation flash in his eyes and he laughed bitterly, turning toward a tavern they were passing and starting to strip off his weapons. "What are you doing?"

He took off Tree's knives, Shanks' knives, Snaga, even his coat and armguards, stuffing everything but Snaga into his backpack and pulling out his black bandana. He gestured to himself after the bandana was tied. He was left in his bandana, pants, and boots. He looked like a slightly larger version of the countless deckhands that were all over the town.

"Watch." he said, setting Snaga and his backpack down and strolling into the bar with a rather convincing smile on his face.

She watched through the door as he walked in and sat down at a table, greeting the people around him with a friendly smile, sharing a joke with a few. She was impressed. He managed to pull off the slightly-buzzed-but-not-yet-drunk swagger with stunning realism. The server walked by and he ordered a drink, looking to all like just another deckhand as he sipped it. Ino tapped her foot in irritation.

*_What the hell is he trying to prove?_* she growled inwardly, *_We're wasting time._* When his second drink arrived she noticed something. The people around him started to look uneasy. Some of them cast fearful glances at his back, while others just slid their chairs to the farthest side of their tables. She glanced back at Drake. He was still wearing the friendly, half-drunk expression of almost everyone else in the bar. Even people who hadn't seen him walk in seemed uncomfortable.

"Let me buy you a round!" he said loudly toward a man across the bar. The man smiled in disbelief and walked over to join him. The man was almost Drake's size, thick bands of muscle across his arms. He sat down, and Ino saw sweat start to form across the back of his neck. The drinks arrived, and they clinked their steins together, downing them with surprising speed. "Thanks man!" Drake exclaimed, clapping the man on the shoulder. "I gotta get back to work, but I hate drinking alone. Have another round on me!"

Drake set his money on the table and excused himself, walking out of the bar with a convincing drunken smile on his face. As soon as he'd walked past his drinking partner, the man let out a relieved sigh. Ino watched in disbelief as half of the bar glared at the back of his head, willing him to leave faster.

"Tell me it's my attitude again." he said sadly, walking past her to retrieve his gear. "Tell me my _attitude_ makes people dislike me."

She couldn't think of anything to say, glaring at the bar patrons with disdain. Her glare was interrupted when Drake turned wordlessly and began walking toward the water.

"Wait!" she called after him. He stopped. "What the hell was that? Why would they act like that? Civilians can't even sense chakra."

"You're half right." he admitted. "Civilians can't _consciously_ sense chakra."

"What?"

"This is all just theory," he admitted. "But I think people can subconsciously sense chakra. Or _spiritual energy_ if Tsunade-sama's theory was right."

"Subconsciously?" she was still angry at the bar.

"They don't seem to be consciously aware of it." he explained. "But that happens wherever I go. I tend to make people uneasy, even hostile."

"It didn't happen in Konoha." she said defensively.

"Tree tried to explain it to me once." Drake mused, "He could always sense things that other people couldn't. He told me that people felt warm to him, like each person was a tiny flickering fire. _'But you,'_ he told me, _'You feel cold, cold as winter'_. I think normal people can feel the spiritual energy around them to some extent, and they don't feel that in me, so I don't feel human. Again, just a theory, but it seems to work."

"You don't make me nervous." Ino said levelly. Drake turned to look her in the eye, and his power swept out. It felt like the air dropped twenty degrees, and Ino had to suppress a shiver at the chill crawling up her spine. She broke out in a cold sweat, and involuntarily took a step backward.

"That's because I wasn't trying to." He reigned his power in, turning and walking toward the water.

"What was the point of that?" she asked, regaining her composure. He didn't answer. "I know you. You don't scare people for no reason." He kept walking. "Answer me!" he stopped.

"I'm sorry." he apologized, his shoulders slumping. "I shouldn't have done that. I just miss TenTen. We really need to find a boat and get out of here. How much money do we have?"

"Tsunade-sama gave me this." Ino piped with a smirk, holding up a bulging roll of bills.

"Wow." he admitted, impressed.

Some minutes later, they arrived at the dock. Drake scanned the visible ships.

"That one." he gestured to one of the smaller merchant ships. It looked average, with three big sails and a raised front and back section.

"Why that one?" she asked.

"It's a trade ship, which is less conspicuous than a ferry, and it's small enough to avoid undue attention."

"All right." she admitted. "So what do we tell them about you?"

"Tell them I'll handle security if they cut the rate." he said simply.

Thirty minutes later, with the sun beginning to rise, Ino and the captain, a pudgy man in his early forties, finally agreed on a price.

"Ninety thousand ryou." she muttered angrily, walking back to where Drake was waiting further up the dock. "Bastard would've taken my firstborn if he could've." Drake chuckled. "We cast off in a few hours," she informed him. "He said we can drop our packs in the guest cabin whenever we want."

"Don't leave anything too valuable." he said simply, hefting his pack and moving toward the ship.

The guest quarters were cramped, but smelled mildly better than the crew's quarters. The room consisted of a bed and a slightly larger section of floor. Drake walked in, dropped his gear, and flopped down on the bed, dwarfing the tiny mattress.

"Guess I'll sleep on the floor." he mused, sitting up. "I don't even fit on this thing."

Ino's hand glowed briefly, two fingers shooting out to touch his forehead. He looked confused, but then his eyes rolled back into his head. "Shut up and get some sleep." she muttered with a smile as he lost consciousness. She eased his massive frame down onto the bed and pulled a blanket over him. Her eyes were drawn to the bandage on his chest again, and curiosity finally overcame her inhibitions. She gently peeled the bandage off.

It was a tattoo, placed directly over his heart, in a spot curiously devoid of scars. It was a small green leaf, maybe two inches long, vaguely reminiscent of the Konoha symbol, with a single kanji emblazoned over the center. The kanji broke her heart.

_Home_

She replaced the bandage, covering him and walking out into the sprawling port town in search of some new clothes. An hour later, she'd found two pairs of pants to replace her skirt, and a long-sleeved open jacket to cover her arms. Finally she found a pair of tough black boots. The getup had cost the remainder of the funds the Hokage had given her. She inspected herself in the rusted mirror.

*_Definitely a bit more boyish than I'm used to._* she mused with a smile. *_But I doubt Sakura could pull this look off._*

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Two weeks later, Drake's mood had yet to improve. Ino heard him toss and turn in his sleep, often saying TenTen's name, but whenever he woke up his eyes just died. She could understand, her own dreams had been less than chaste lately, and waking up was always painful, but it was grating on her nerves. When he started refusing to eat, she finally snapped.

"What the hell are you doing?" she asked, kicking him lightly as he laid on the floor.

"Ow." he muttered.

"Answer me."

"I'm sleeping." he grumbled, rolling over and facing away from her.

"You've done nothing _but_ sleep since we got on the damn boat."

He didn't answer.

"Do you think I like seeing you like this?" she fumed. "Do you think TenTen would like to see you like this?" His eyes shot open. "You just want to keep wasting away like this? What are you going to do when we get to Sharn?" she asked angrily. "Find out who's behind this and _mope_ him to death?"

He stood up, towering over her. "I already told you." he fumed "I miss..."

"Yeah, I know." she cut him off. "You miss _TenTen_." Ino was ranting now, tears in the corners of her eyes. "If you hate _my_ company so much, maybe we should be brainstorming the mission, so we can get it over with and you can just go back to _her_!"

"Ino." Drake's anger vanished immediately. "I didn't mean..." an impact shook the ship, pitching both of them to the ground.

"We're under attack!" a voice rang from above.

They both sprang to their feet, grabbing their weapons and rushing up to the deck. Once they were there, they followed the gazes of the crew. Another ship was approaching them from behind. It was massive, easily twice the size of their own ship. They were traveling with the wind, and the approaching ship's massive sails gave it the speed to easily overtake the smaller trade ship. Ino could pick out a ballista on the prow of the enemy ship, and saw the arms flick forward again.

"Cover!" the captain yelled, and Drake tackled Ino to the deck, the massive bolt missing them by inches. The enemy ship came closer, and individual crew became visible, waving weapons and snarling obscenities. A booming voice echoed from the wheel of the massive ship.

"Kill the men!" it roared. "Take the woman!"

A cheer sounded from the other ship and Ino saw anger flicker in Drake's green eyes. "Get them below Ino." He spoke coldly, rolling off of her. "Barricade the doors. I'll handle these idiots."

She nodded and began shouting orders.

"We will stand with you." several of the crew had drawn weapons, and moved to stand near Drake.

"You'll just get in my way." he said, drawing Snaga. "Stay below. Protect the captain. If any get past me, you'll need to stop them."

The man stared into Drake's eyes for a long moment, took one look at Snaga, and then nodded. The rest of the crew moved below the deck, and Drake loosened the muscles of his shoulders, hearing the reassuring thuds of heavy objects being set behind the doors.

Ino stood sentinel at the top of the staircase as the last of the furniture from the crew quarters was piled up behind the door. She closed her eyes and listened. No sound but the lapping of the waves against the ship's hull.

"Look boys!" The enemy leader's voice rang out again. "This pup thinks he can stand against the wolves of the sea!"

There was the thump of something heavy hitting the deck, and then a combined roar of anger and the stamping of several pairs of feet drowned out the sounds of the ocean. A scream cut through the din, followed by the thud that Ino recognized as a body, then another, then another.

"Back to the ship!" one of the voices cried. Another scream sounded, followed by another thud.

"Gods of the sea! It's _Him_!" another voice cried. Three more thuds sounded, then Ino heard Drake take a few stomping strides and jump. She rushed back to their tiny room and looked out the tiny porthole, seeing Drake's dark form land on the deck of the other ship, Snaga lashing out in all directions. A wave lifted the other ship, and she lost sight of him. Thirty seconds later, the wave lifted their ship, and she saw the deck of the attackers' ship strewn with bodies.

Suddenly everything went silent. The lack of noise was deafening, sending chills down Ino's spine. She fought not to shiver as she moved back to the door. After what seemed like an hour, a gentle knock sounded from the other side, causing Ino and several of the huddled crew to jump.

"It's safe." Drake's voice came from the other side, muffled by the makeshift barricade. After clearing the obstructions, the doors opened to a scene of carnage. There was blood everywhere, strewn around like there had been some kind of explosion.

*_But where are the bodies?_* Ino thought, glancing around. The ships had been pulled close, lashed together with ropes, and she heard a clatter on the deck of the larger ship. Leaping easily to the deck of the taller ship, she finally found Drake. The tall man was standing next to a massive pile of weapons. Her question was answered when she saw him lift a body, removing the man's sword and money pouch and pulling one of Tree's knives from the man's throat and wiping it clean. He tossed the dead man's weapon onto the pile before throwing him into the sea. She watched him repeat the process until the rest of the bodies were gone. It took a while, and Ino realized he was counting something. She moved closer, not making a sound.

"Twenty two forty." His gaze rose from the pile of weapons as he tossed what was left of the captain overboard. "Gah!" he jumped, his normal personality returning. "Ino?"

"And now you look sad." she said simply as his mood changed.

"What does it say for my character that killing people lifts my mood?" he said sullenly.

"I think that's actually the sunlight." she supplied, "You haven't had any in what? Two years?"

"Har har."

"Is there a reason we're looting the bodies and then getting rid of them?" she changed the subject, walking over to scrutinize the pile of weapons.

"I have a plan," he admitted.

"What is this plan?" she asked, her gaze flitting from weapon to weapon.

"Those are all crap." He said simply, ignoring her question. "Take this one."

She caught the item he'd thrown. It was a scabbarded sword, with a belt wrapped around the scabbard. The hilt was elaborate, with details etched in silver. She drew it. It was few inches longer than her ANBU sword, and was perfectly balanced. She gave it a few practice swings before looping the belt around her waist. The belt confused her. It was far too long, and in place of a buckle it just had an open ring of metal. Drake watched with an amused smirk as she tried pulling the belt tight through the loop. The sword fell to the deck when she let go and she grumbled, blushing under his scrutiny.

"Need help?" he asked innocently.

She glared daggers back at him.

"Let me show you." he said, stepping in behind her and taking the belt. He pulled the strap through the ring, then looped it around into a simple knot. "Pull here to tighten it." he demonstrated. "Or here to loosen it."

He felt her lean back ever so slightly to give him a better view, and she felt his hands linger on her waist for a moment longer than they needed to as his gaze traveled down her body. Each of them realized where they were and straightened, stepping apart hurriedly.

"Thanks." she said, blushing as she tested her new belt.

"Yeah." he nodded awkwardly.

"So what's this plan?" she asked, remembering their previous conversation.

"The plan?" he paused. "Oh... right. Follow me."

They strode back toward the smaller merchant ship, hopping down to land lightly on the deck. The crew were mopping the blood off of the decks, slowly returning the ship to its normal appearance.

"Captain." he said nonchalantly. "I'd like to buy your ship."

"With what?" the pudgy man asked incredulously, sweat running freely down his face as his natural instincts took over. "You gave me almost all the money you had just to book passage here. What do you have that could be worth my ship?"

"You can have..." Snaga swung out, the twin points stabbing toward the ship that had attacked them, now completely devoid of life. "_My_ ship."

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	32. Reluctant Landing

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Ino laid back on the deck and formed her trademark open hand seal, sighting one of the many seabirds resting on their sail.

"Shintenshin no jutsu." she said quietly, her hands falling to her sides as her mind left her body. Her aim was good, and she flew straight into the gull's mind. The animal panicked, but she ignored it, finding herself staring at her own reclining form. Her tan was progressing well, and the top she'd chosen added emphasis in all the right places.

She turned her gaze upward and soared, reveling at the feeling of complete freedom, the wind under her wings, and the endless ocean stretching as far as she could see. She felt the bird body's hunger, and was reminded of her own. The ship had been stocked to feed the crew, but the dried meat and bread had almost no taste, and had gotten boring after about a day. So today, with the sun getting closer to the horizon, they'd rolled up the sail and Drake had resolved to catch them dinner.

She glanced down at him. He looked bored, massive hands dwarfing the sturdy fishing pole he'd found on the raiding ship. She glided down and landed on it, a few feet above his hands. He raised an eyebrow, staring at what appeared to be an ordinary seagull perched on his fishing rod. She saw a realization dawn in his eyes and he glanced back toward her body.

"Ah." he said, the confusion vanishing from his features. "Didn't know your jutsu worked on animals." His eyes lingered, moving with a will of their own. They traveled from her face to the bikini top she wore, and then down to her toned abs.

"Enjoying the view?" she asked, sitting up and striking a pose. He turned back to his fishing, a blush on his cheeks. The freed seagull squawked in terror at the sudden motion and flapped it wings to get away. "I'm just messing with you." She stood and walked over to him, sitting down and studying his face. "Lighten up."

He opened his mouth to reply, but then something snagged the hook and pulled, hard. Drake was caught off-guard, and almost lost his grip on the fishing rod. "Wow." he thought aloud, standing and starting to reel. The fish pulled again, and Ino watched the muscles of Drake's arms and chest flex to hold on. He'd built up a tan of his own over the past week, and her gaze wandered down the many crisscrossing scars of its own accord.

The fish was putting up a hell of a fight. Drake could have just pulled with all of his strength, but that would probably snap the line. So instead, it became a ten-minute fight to slowly bring the fish to the surface. Eventually the big man was victorious, and a sixty pound fish flopped onto the deck of the ship.

"You stand watch." he said simply, lifting the fish as if it weighed nothing. "I'll go make dinner."

She nodded and sat down behind the wheel, musing over their acquisition of the ship. It had taken an entire day to switch the cargo between the two ships, and then they'd said their goodbyes. The captain had been beside himself at the prospect of his new ship, and had thanked them profusely before setting sail back toward the River Country. It had been a week since then. She saw Drake appear in the doorway, walking to the side of the ship and tossing off the inedible parts of the fish before vanishing below deck again. The gulls waiting on the mast swooped and started picking the remains from the surface of the water.

With a crew of two, they had only been able to use one sail, and they'd been slowly working their way towards the borders of Sharn. She was glad though. With the two of them alone, Drake couldn't go back to just sulking in his room. He needed to be outside, helping to sail the ship. She'd been enjoying their time together, and his mood had been steadily improving, and now he was almost back to his old self. He'd said they were only a few days away from land. Truth be told, she didn't want their time together to end. She'd been having the time of her life, and despite his efforts to hide it, could tell he had been too. She was shaken from her thoughts when the smell of real food wafted up from below the deck. Her stomach rumbled hungrily.

Thirty agonizing minutes later, Drake reappeared, leaping up to the deck where she sat near the wheel. He held Shanks' knives, each with a large piece of fish skewered on it.

"Interesting presentation." she muttered.

"I work with what I have." he chuckled, handing her one and taking a bite of his own. "Wow." he mumbled. "Turned out better than I thought."

She eyed the fish suspiciously, taking a tentative bite. Her eyes went wide. It was delicious. She took another, much larger bite, savoring the flavor. They ate in silence for a few minutes, before she realized he was watching her, a bemused smirk on his face.

"What?" she asked simply.

"I've never cooked for anyone before." he admitted. "I'm glad you approve."

"What?" she asked, shocked. "What about the stew you gave my team?"

"That was Druss." he said simply.

"Then how the hell did you do this?" she asked, taking another bite.

"Four lemons and a few spices." he said, evading the question. She narrowed her eyes at him. "I've cooked for myself a lot." he finally admitted, leaning back and looking at the stars. "I learned most of it by watching our old mercenary unit's cook."

"Your unit had a cook?" she asked, curious.

"Chen." Drake nodded. "I think he had some bad debts or something, so he ended up with us. I swear, you could give that man an hour and some spice and he'd make a four course meal out of tree bark." He laughed at the memory. "We usually had more of us defending _him_ than our clients."

She chuckled at the image, and he smiled with nostalgia.

"You should smile more." she said, watching him.

"I smile all the time." he countered.

"No you don't." she challenged. "You do that half-assed smirk, or you just fake a smile. That was the first smile I've ever seen from you that looked genuine."

"Been watching me that closely have you?" he asked standing and raising an eyebrow. She took another bite of fish, keeping the skewered food between his eyes and the blush on her cheeks. He waited for her to finish the food before retrieving Shanks' knife. "I'm gonna go clean up my cooking mess."

"Okay." she muttered.

"If you can, I'd like to seal the rest of the fish, so it doesn't spoil." he explained before scratching his head. "Seals _do_ work like that, right?"

"Yes." She chuckled, moving to follow him. "Seals do work like that."

They performed their assigned tasks in relative silence, with Ino retrieving a blank scroll from her pack and scrawling the necessary seal on it. Drake suddenly chuckled, breaking the silence as he scrubbed the pan he'd cooked the fish in.

"What's so funny?" she asked, setting the remaining fish on the scroll and forming a hand-sign.

"It just hit me. I'm twenty now." he explained, scrubbing a particularly tenacious spot off the pan. "I've been twenty for almost a month. It _just_ hit me."

"When was your birthday?" she asked after the food was sealed.

"Eight days after I died." he said, chuckling at the absurdity of the sentence. "So the day that you jumped into my head to show Tsunade and TenTen."

"No pulling anything like that this time." she said simply. "That's an order."

"An order?" he raised an eyebrow. "_Really?_"

"I'm a full Jounin. I outrank you." she explained before changing the subject. "Why didn't you tell us it was your birthday?"

"I don't really _celebrate_ it." he said. "It's a long story."

"And you're too busy to tell it?" she asked, gesturing to the endless ocean around them. He sighed. "Spill."

"I don't know when my real birthday is." he admitted. "You've been inside my head, the first ten-ish years of my life are just a blank."

"Yeah." She nodded. "So what's so special about..." she paused, thinking. "October twenty second?

"It was the day Tree and Shanks died." he explained simply. "The day I became the person I am today."

She was silent.

"Anyway." he said with a yawn. "I'm bushed. Think I'll get some sleep. Night."

"Night." she repeated, and walked to her room. Changing into a loose shirt and a pair of pajama pants, she moved to the bed. She sighed, closing her eyes and attempting to relax. It was no use. In the two weeks they'd spent sharing a room, she'd become accustomed to the sound of the big man's breathing. Sleeping without the sound was difficult now.

Four hours later, she was no less tired, but also no less awake. Having mapped the entire ceiling with her eyes, she huffed and sat up, looking around the room. The captain's cabin was much roomier than the tiny room they'd shared before, but it seemed completely lifeless. Lifeless and cold. She shivered. A thought occurred to her, and she channeled chakra to her hands. They glowed a warm green.

*_Okay._* she reasoned. *_So it's not him. It's just **cold** in here._* She flopped back down onto the bed and closed her eyes. The silence was deafening. She just couldn't relax no matter how hard she tried.

"Dammit." she grumbled, rolling out of bed and wrapping her blanket around herself like a cloak. She opened the door without a sound, easing her way into the hallway. Drake's door was open. Peering inside, she noticed the empty bed. *_He must be upstairs then._*

She walked up the stairs and saw Drake. He'd tied one of the wide hammocks from the crew quarters between two of the ship's masts. He didn't seem to notice her, reclining on the hammock and staring at the stars with his headphones in his ears. She took a step closer. "Hey Ino."

"Why aren't you downstairs?" she asked.

"Can't sleep." he said simply. "You?"

"Same." she admitted.

"You can borrow one of my headphones if you like." he muttered, moving to make room for her on the hammock. "They aren't really doing anything for me."

She sat down beside him, taking the tiny device. "I though your song _always_ helped?" she asked, confused.

"Me too." he admitted reluctantly. "Apparently not."

"What's on your mind?" she asked, laying back into the woven ropes so she could set the tiny device into her ear.

"I'm scared," he admitted, surprising both of them. "scared to the soles of my boots. Today was fun, but it reminded me how much I'm _not_ looking forward to going back to Sharn."

"_I'm_ still here." she said simply. "At least you're not alone."

"True." he admitted. The wind picked up and she shivered, huddling into his side.

"Don't get any ideas." she muttered after a few seconds. "I'm just trying to keep warm."

"All right." he said with a small smile, wrapping an arm around her blanket-wrapped form. "How's that?"

"Wow." she mused. "Much better. You're a human space-heater."

He chuckled as he felt her relax. A long silence formed, each of them just enjoying the feeling of closeness and the sound of the music. The silence lingered for a few minutes before she finally spoke.

"I'll make you a deal." she said sleepily.

"Hmm?" he asked, equally sleepily.

"You keep _me_ safe and I'll keep _you_ safe."

"Deal." he agreed as the two of them fell asleep.

The next day when land came into view, they both tried to hide their disappointment. They had slept until about noon, and were arriving in town just as the sun started to set. What was worse, Drake's navigation had been flawless, so they'd arrived at the port city perfectly. There was an air of resignation around the both of them as Ino steered the ship into the dock, Drake managing the sail. They finally found an empty spot, and tied off. They donned their gear, split the money they'd found on the raiders and their ship, and set about securing the ship.

Ino set a barrier on the door to the lower decks of the ship as Drake wrapped a heavy chain around the wheel, securing it with a padlock and setting the key in a hidden pocket of his coat. They each sighed and jumped down onto the dock to enter the town.

No sooner had their feet touched down on the wood, two figures moved to stand in their way. They looked haggard, their forms pale and malnourished, but their age was what shocked Ino the most, they couldn't have been more than fifteen.

"Best be leaving your money." the one in the lead said, drawing a knife. "Or there'll be trouble." Ino and Drake shared a glance, looking from each other to the young boy threatening them. They tried not to laugh, but then the boy brandished the knife in an attempt to scare them and the floodgates broke, they laughed. They laughed so hard they were fighting tears.

"Trouble?" Drake chuckled as he caught his breath. "What're you going to do, _boy_? Starve to death at us?"

"Bastard!" The one with the knife snarled and rushed at Drake. The tall man caught the knife-hand in his own vicelike grip and squeezed, lifting the blade to take a look at it.

"Wow." he admitted as the blade clattered to the ground. "That's a nice knife. Who'd you steal it from?"

"You son of a bitch!" The boy gathered the blade up and ran at him again, slashing wildly. The knife was knocked out of his hands with a casual swat, then the big man sidestepped, pulling the scabbard off the boy's belt and sending him over the edge of the dock with a callous shove. Ino glanced to the other boy as the one who had attacked them came up spluttering. He just looked terrified.

"Help your friend lad." Drake's voice startled him. "He's not a very strong swimmer."

The boy edged past Ino, leaning over the edge of the dock to offer a helping hand. The boy in the water pulled a little too hard, and his friend was pulled over the edge to splash down next to him. The boy's terror only escalated at that point, and soon they were both floundering at the surface. Drake sighed and walked over, lifting the scared boy and setting him gently on the dock. He repeated the gesture with his comrade. The boy just glared daggers at him, kicking and snarling obscenities as Drake set him down. The big man locked eyes with the boy and swept his power out. The tirade stopped instantly.

"You're brave, boy." the big man's voice sent chills down his spine. "But if you don't wise up you aren't going to survive very long."

"Give me back my knife." the boy said, his eyes wide and his face pale. Drake reached into one of his pockets and pulled two gold coins out, tossing one to the other boy, who caught it deftly. He held the other coin up in front of the suspended boy's face and they locked eyes again.

"I'm buying your knife." he said, and the boy's anger vanished. "You and your friend get some food. If I ever even _hear_ that you've gone back to knifing strangers, I'll come back." he paused, locking eyes with the boy again. "I never forgive twice." Drake set him down and walked off the dock, stopping when something caught his eye.

There was a bulletin board, and on it were taped several wanted posters, the largest poster was unmistakable. Ino and the two boys saw it briefly before the big man reached out and tore it off the board, examining it as he walked off the dock. "Holy shit!" Ino heard the foul-mouthed boy exclaim as she rushed to follow. "That was _him_!"

"Found you a knife." he said simply, tossing the weapon to her. She chuckled and strapped the sheath on her leg, taking the place of her normal kunai pouch. She walked beside him, examining the poster as he did. It looked somewhat like him. The face was pretty close, but the eyes were completely wrong and the shoulders were far too small. They just walked quietly, until he finally broke the silence.

"My bounty went up." he said with a chuckle. "That's good." Her eyes traveled down the poster to read the printed text.

_Drake_

_Wanted by the Holy Temple of the Sharn for Apostasy, Heresy, Murder, Witchcraft, Blasphemy, Sedition, and High Treason._

_Proof of death: 25,000 Crowns. Live Capture: 50,000 Crowns._

He read the unspoken question in her eyes. "The two crowns I gave those boys will probably feed them for six months. Half a crown is about a hundred ryou. Then there are the silver and copper coins for smaller stuff."

"So you're worth..." Ino did the math in her head, gasping when she finally grasped the answer. "Five... _million_... ryou."

"Or ten million alive." he admitted sadly. "If you ever get fed up you can just knock me out and retire."

She could almost _see_ the weight settle on his shoulders. When she finally spoke, her voice sounded normal, despite her mood. "So how the hell is that a _good_ thing?"

"People are greedy." he said simply. "Especially bounty hunters. With this much money on the line nobody will tell the church where I am. They'll all want to catch me themselves."

"That doesn't make any sense." she said simply.

"If the church finds me, _nobody_ gets the money." he explained. "So nobody will tell them. Hell, some of them will probably try to _keep_ the church from finding out."

"Hmm..." she pondered. "So what's our move?"

"First, Cloaks." he said simply. "Even if I'm worth too much to tell the church, there's no reason to go around showing my face off."

"Okay." she nodded. "Then what?"

"We either sell the boat, or find a sand circle." he thought for a moment. "Because we'll need a lot of money for what I'm planning."

"What's a Sand circle?" she asked, unfamiliar with the term.

"A place where people bet on fights." he said simply. "I've used them to make money before."

"If we do that," she supplied. "We can just stay on the boat."

"True." he conceded. "At least until we make enough money to leave this town."

"How do we use it to make money though?" she asked, still not following.

"Basically, I throw my first few fights, to rack up the odds against me," he explained, "Then when the people all start betting against me, I pull off an unlikely win and we clean them out."

"Underhanded." she said, sounding impressed.

"It's not _legal_," he said with a chuckle, gesturing to the wanted poster. "But apparently I eat babies, so whatever." he looked back to the poster and furrowed his brow, starting to laugh.

"What's so funny?" she asked.

"These," He pointed at _Heresy_ and _Apostasy_, the first two charges. She raised an eyebrow. "'Apostasy' means I abandoned their religion," he stated simply. "Which I did."

"Okay." She nodded, understanding.

"Heresy would mean I changed some part of my beliefs _without_ abandoning the religion entirely." he explained. "Apparently I'm so evil I can do both, even though that's completely impossible. They might as well have drawn horns and fangs on the damn picture."

Ino laughed. A few blocks later she spotted a stand with what looked to be cloaks hanging all over it. Grabbing his coat, she pulled him off toward it.

He folded the poster, setting it in one of his pockets, and then examined the various cloaks on display. He finally found one that was long enough, throwing it over his shoulders as he saw Ino's eyes light up. She grabbed a deep purple cloak, the same color as her shirt, and swung it over her shoulders with a smile.

"No." he said simply. Her expression shattered.

"Why not?" she pouted.

"Purple dye is too expensive." he explained simply. "You might as well write _I have too much money, please try to mug me_ on it."

"I doubt anyone here could mug either of us." she challenged.

"It draws too much attention." he said dismissively. He saw her step close to him to look up at his face and he turned his eyes to the cloak he'd found. He knew what she was doing, and fought not to look down, fought not to think about how close her flawless body was to his. His eyes finally betrayed him, and he found himself staring into her face, her hair falling suggestively and her blue eyes boring into the green of his own.

"Please?" she asked, pursing her lips and tilting her head seductively. He felt his resolve shatter and leaned slightly closer. His mind took the two of them places that were far from innocent until he realized what he was doing and stepped away.

"O..." He stammered, "Okay." He secured the ties of his cloak and shook his head to dispel the images. "Just get one in a less obvious color for when we're in town."

"Okay." She agreed with a smile. She snatched the money pouch from his belt and moved to pay for the three cloaks.

"That was cruel." he grumbled, narrowing his eyes at her.

"You could've said no." she reminded him playfully, throwing her purple cloak into her pack and donning the gray one she'd picked out.

"I'm taken..." he muttered, pulling the cloak's hood up to hide the blush on his cheeks. "I'm not a damn saint."

She smiled at the indirect compliment. "So now we're off to find a sand circle?"

"Yeah." He nodded, glad for the distraction. "It'd probably be in the slums."

A few minutes of asking around got them directions to the sand circle. Following the vague directions, they ended up in a warehouse on the far side of town, with two men almost Drake's size standing guard. As they approached the doors, Ino saw Drake pop something small and white into his mouth.

"What was that?" she asked simply.

"Pebble." he answered simply.

"Why do you have a pebble in your mouth?" she asked, completely confused.

"You'll see." They walked within earshot of the guards. "How much to fight?" Drake asked, his voice sounding less cultured than Ino was used to.

"Ten crown buy-in." one of the thugs said simply. Drake looked at Ino, and she produced the coins from one of her sleeves, handing them to the guard that had spoken.

"Good luck." the guards said in unison.

The warehouse was completely empty, save for a large raised platform in the middle, which people were crowded around.

"We need to lose some money before I win." he explained quietly, "If you don't bet until the fight I win, they'll know something's up."

She nodded. "How much?"

"Just throw small amounts of money around until the odds get to about eight to one," he muttered under his breath. "then bet it all and give me some kind of signal."

They arrived at the crowd, just in time to see the bigger of two men in the ring knock his opponent out. The people cheered.

"Who's next!?" the victor yelled, scanning the crowd.

"Yo!" Drake called out, waving from the back of the crowd

"Get up here!" the man challenged. He was huge, probably a few inches taller than Drake and built like a bull. Drake walked to the table next to the platform and started taking off his weapons, his coat, and so on until he was left in nothing but his pants and boots, just like his opponent. "As usual." the man mocked. "Every mercenary thinks he can fight."

Drake climbed into the ring and brought up his fists. He swung a clumsy straight left, which the other man dodged with practiced ease, stepping in to thunder a punch to Drake's jaw. Drake stepped back, shaking his head dizzily, and made a show of feeling around his mouth with his tongue. A moment later, he spat out what looked like a blood-covered tooth. The illusion worked perfectly. The audience roared their approval and Ino smiled when she saw the bloody pebble hit the ground.

"I'll give ten to one on the bigger one winning." he heard one of the many bookies say from beside the ring. Bets were called, all of them against Drake.

"A hundred crowns on the new guy!" he heard a vaguely familiar voice shout from behind him.

"Two hundred!" he heard Ino's voice cry out, and the crowd roared their approval.

Drake swung a right hook, which his opponent dodged easily. The bigger man slammed his fist into Drake's midsection, and he had to suppress a smile at how little damage the bigger man was doing. Another punch hit his ribs, and another slammed into his forehead, barely fazing him. Drake put on a show of being dazed and hurt.

*_If Lee ever came over here they'd think he was some kind of demon._* he mused, fighting again not to smile.

"That all you got?" Drake said weakly, spitting more blood onto the floor of the ring. The crowd roared their approval. Drake went on the attack, telegraphing blows and pulling punches, but still putting his opponent on the defensive. He landed a few hits, pulling the majority of their power, but softening his opponent up little by little.

The bigger man snarled and slammed an uppercut to Drake's chin, rocking him back on his heels. Drake dropped to his knees as his opponent backpedaled.

"Knock him out!" he heard someone cry from the audience, and glanced behind his opponent. Ino was there, and she gave him a covert wink. His opponent rushed him, and he surged to his feet, bringing his fist up under the man's chin in an uppercut. The move was calculated to look like a desperate, last ditch attack.

The hit connected, and Drake held back just enough to avoid breaking the man's jaw. The force of the hit sent the bigger man reeling to land flat on his back, unconscious. Drake hobbled for a moment, then collapsed, feigning exhaustion. The crowd was deathly silent for a few moments.

"He won!" someone shouted suddenly, and the audience went berserk, cheering so loudly that Ino almost had to cover her ears.

Drake pushed himself to his knees, feigning massive amounts of pain, and crawled over to the edge of the ring, dropping to his feet. He moved to collect his gear as Ino and the one other person who'd bet on him collected their winnings. The bookie looking thoroughly displeased.

He checked to make sure everything was still in his coat before swaying on his feet and feigning that he was about to collapse. Ino stepped in and caught him.

"I'm done." he said, his voice pained. "Who's up next?"

Two new fighters entered the ring, and the noise commenced again.

"That worked better than I thought." Drake admitted.

"That pebble trick was genius." Ino said happily, hefting the massive bag of coins. "Where'd you learn that?"

"Made it up as we were walking in." he admitted. "Had to get the crowd riled up somehow."

They made slow progress toward the door. Ino and Drake playing the injury card for all it was worth. The guards stopped them on their way out.

"Leaving?" the one on the right asked. "You only got here like five minutes ago."

"Broke four ribs, lost a tooth, and made two thousand crowns." Drake said with a delirious smile. "I'll be back once I heal up."

The guard smiled.

"Night guys." Drake called out deliriously.

As soon as they were around a corner Drake stood and walked normally.

"You were almost too good at that." Ino admitted. "I feel sorry for that guy."

"I didn't break any of his bones." he smiled. "He'll just have a wicked headache when he wakes up."

They walked in silence, just enjoying each other's company, until they reached the docks. There was someone following them, a single figure flitting from shadow to shadow. They walked out onto the dock. As soon as the figure stepped from the shadows they spun around, Drake drawing Snaga, Ino drawing her sword and knife.

The man looked roughly middle aged, if somewhat thin. He had a bandage wrapped over one of his eyes, and an amused look in his visible eye. Ino recognized him instantly.

"He's the other one who bet on you." she whispered, before speaking loudly. "What do you want?"

There was a puff of smoke, and the man's features were replaced with a face they both recognized.

"You didn't honestly think you could outrun us," a feminine voice said from behind them, making Drake's heart soar. "Did you?"

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	33. Old Friends

Chapter 33: Old friends

Daeric was fighting despair. He was a summer away from eighteen, with a lean build and an innocent face. Boys his age were supposed to be worried about wooing girls and getting educated.

*_But **NO**..._* he grumbled mentally. *_Had to be a big man and become a mercenary..._*

The things had been attacking for five minutes and they'd already lost twenty men, with at least the same number of wounded. They'd chosen a narrow mountain pass to defend, standing in front of a ten-foot-tall stone wall and throwing together some crude barricades to hide behind. At sunset the howling had begun. Whatever these wolf-headed monstrosities were, they were winning.

"Hold the line!" he roared, pulling another injured man over the barricades. Another beast roared from farther down the line, scattering the formation and tearing a man apart. Daeric climbed atop the wall, sprinting as fast as he could along the battlements and leaping off when he reached the monster. He hit it spear-first, using his weight to add force to the blow. The point punched straight through the beast's chest and out its back. The monster roared and backhanded him as the rest of the unit swarmed in, stabbing and hacking it to pieces.

He flew twenty feet, landing in a painful heap and drawing his knife. He glanced around as he stood, feeling his heart sink. He'd been knocked _away_ from the wall, landing amidst the brush the monsters were hiding in.

A beast snarled, the sound turning his blood to ice. He turned. It was sailing through the air toward him, its claws extended. He just stared, resigned to his fate. What looked like a massive streak of shining silver flew through the air to take the beast in the side of the head. It landed at his feet, twitching, and he examined what had killed it.

It was a massive axe, the flaring blades reminiscent of the wings of a butterfly. A dark figure landed behind the body, holding Daeric's spear. Another beast rushed him, and the big man spun, hammering a kick into its midsection and sending it into a tree. Daeric finally got a look at him as he leaned down and wrenched the axe from the first corpse. He was massive,wearing a black cloak and holding the axe like it weighed nothing. His hood was pulled up, covering most of his face. The man turned and regarded Daeric, head tilting curiously.

"Didn't expect to find _you_ here, kid." he said simply, tossing the young mercenary his spear. "You look tired."

"Holy shit!" Daeric thought aloud, recognizing the voice as he caught his trusted weapon. "Is that really you?" The beast the man had kicked suddenly rushed toward them. Daeric leveled his spear. The big man appeared between them, hacking down with his axe and severing its head and arm in one clean stroke. The sudden motion swept his hood back off of his head.

"In the flesh." Drake said with a grim smile. Another beast reared up from the reeds, charging toward the battle line some fifty feet away. Daeric felt a massive hand clamp on the back of his shirt. "Hang on."

"To what?" he asked. Suddenly he was lifted bodily from the ground and thrown. He flew toward the beast, covering the fifty feet in the blink of an eye and aiming his spear as best he could. He slammed into it with tremendous force, the point of his spear punching into one of its eyes and erupting out the back of its head. The impact knocked the wind out of him and he rose shakily, coughing.

"Sorry about that." Drake said from beside him.

"Gah!" the younger man jumped. He hadn't even seen the big man move.

"We can hold them off." Drake said simply, hefting his axe and standing in front of the beleagered men. Daeric saw five other figures standing evenly spaced across the line. "Have your men pull back."

"Retreat!" the younger man ordered. The call was taken up, and soon the men were all streaming back over the wall, carrying the wounded. He felt the adrenaline start to fade, the rush of battle being replaced with bone-numbing fatigue. He glanced over his shoulder just in time to see Drake and the other five strangers leap lightly up to the battlements and move to catch up. There was something... _off..._ about the way they moved.

"It does my heart good to see you again, kid." Drake admitted, moving to walk beside him. The rest of his group fell into step behind them, not making a sound. "Where's Bress?"

"Can they stop following us?" the younger man blurted out nervously. "They're kind of creeping me out with all the silence and the weird looks."

"Ino, Sakura, See what you can do for the wounded." Drake ordered, gesturing toward the camp. "Naruto, Kakashi, see if you can track the beasts that escaped. I want to know where they came from." Kakashi chuckled, and the four of them moved to follow his orders.

"Who are they?" Daeric asked, watching the four ninja leave.

"Friends." the big man said simply.

"They scare me." Daeric admitted, turning to TenTen. "No offense, but you all move like you're floating or something. You're like creepy cloud people." He turned to Drake and kept talking. "And now you do too. Look at you. You're built like a truck. You should not _be_ this graceful. It's not right."

"He's adorable when he gets all flustered like this." TenTen giggled, moving beside the younger man and patting him on the head. "He's like a puppy."

"He talks a lot when he gets nervous." Drake agreed with a chuckle.

"Shut up." the younger man muttered defeatedly.

"TenTen, this is Daeric, my former apprentice." TenTen smiled and shook his hand in the warrior's grip, catching him off guard. "Kid, this is my girlfriend TenTen."

"Nice to meet you." he said with a smile. An awkward silence began to form, but Drake cut it off.

"So what happened to Bress?" He repeated, anticipating the answer.

"Who was Bress?" TenTen asked.

"He was my second in command." Drake said simply. "He took over when I left."

"He lost a duel." Daeric answered, staring at the ground. It wasn't the answer Drake had been expecting. "His wound got infected, he died a few days later."

"How long ago?" he asked sadly, bowing his head and saying a quick prayer for the man who'd fought with him countless times.

"A year, maybe."

"What about Chen?"

"Still here." the smaller man said with a smirk. "Now he's the captain's personal cook."

"No wonder you all look so miserable." Drake muttered. A long silence formed as they walked, finally coming into view of the center of camp.

"So why are you back?" Daeric finally asked, breaking the silence. "There's no way you were just in the neighborhood and stopped by for a visit."

"Sharp as ever, kid." the big man nodded his approval. "A few of these things tracked me to my new home. I've been sent here to get rid of them."

"They tracked you?" Daeric asked, sounding confused. "They're beasts. They don't _track_. They just _kill_."

"Someone is controlling them." TenTen said simply, rejoining the conversation. "We're here to stop them."

"What do you need?" the younger man asked after a while.

"I don't know yet." the big man admitted. "I just need you to move back into Sharn, in case I need your help."

"The captain won't allow it." the smaller man admitted. "He doesn't do favors."

"What about you?" TenTen asked simply.

"I'm not in charge." the smaller man said simply.

"What if you were?" Drake countered.

"Stop teaming up on me!" the smaller man pouted. "That kind of thinking gets you executed around here."

"You didn't answer." TenTen pointed out after a moment.

"I'd help." the younger man admitted with a sigh. "But I can't beat the captain."

"Leave him to me." Drake said, his tone serious. "Where is he?"

Daeric nodded his head toward the center of camp. A man sat on a horse, barking orders to the various men around him without lifting a finger to help. His clothes were pristine, made of silk or something else equally expensive, and his blonde hair was immaculately combed, held behind his head in a ponytail.

"The fop on the horse?" Drake asked bluntly.

"That's him." Daeric nodded, barely choking back a laugh. The men around him cleared and Drake saw the thin sword scabbarded at his hip.

"I've been replaced by a fucking _duelist_?" he muttered, smacking his forehead in disbelief. "Ugh."

"A duelist?" TenTen asked, confused.

"In the unit, anyone who can beat the leader in single combat can take over." Daeric explained. "A duelist is just what it sounds like, someone who specializes in fighting duels."

"Look at him!" Drake said, sounding bewildered. "He couldn't kill a Joining if it was _asleep_!"

"So what do we do?" TenTen asked simply.

"I'll handle it, but first I need to piss him off." Drake said, walking toward the man. "You two." he gestured to two soldiers sitting boredly. "Get some water for the medic's tent. And you," he pointed to another. "Get Chen out here and tell him to make us some food." They looked at him blankly, and he swept his power out, chilling their blood. "Did I stutter?" he asked coldly.

They stood and set about the tasks he'd given them. On cue, the blonde man rode up, looking angry. "Who the hell are you?" he demanded. "What are you doing in _my_ camp ordering _my_ men around?"

"You're welcome." Drake said simply.

"Who the hell do you think you are?"

"How many beasts did you kill in the last scuffle?" Drake asked, ignoring the man's question.

"I was busy leading my men." he said smugly, "I didn't have time to run in and fight them myself."

"Like hell you were!" Drake challenged. "I saw you turn your horse and run when that beast broke the line. If _we_ hadn't shown up you would have just left them all there." The man blanched, and Drake saw the questioning looks he was starting to get from the surrounding soldiers. "Oh I understand," Drake continued, gesturing to the man's sword. "Swinging a twig like that, you couldn't even _hurt_ one of the beasts, let alone kill it. You had every right to be _afraid_." Drake watched the word twist in the man's mind like a knife and gestured to TenTen. "Hell, my _girlfriend_ could take you out with both hands tied behind her back."

*_It's funny because it's true._* Druss chuckled in his mind.

"So like I said," Drake chuckled, "I understand if you wanted to _run away_, but it just seems a tad irresponsible."

The two men continued arguing and TenTen realized what Drake was doing. Something had to happen, the man was losing too much face with the soldiers around him.

"I could cut you down before you could even lift that axe of yours." the man said icily, drawing his sword.

"Any one of my group could take you out without breaking a sweat." Drake said simply. "You sure you want this to happen?"

"I'll fight _you_." the man said, leveling the sword at Drake. "It'll be a cold day in hell when I'm bested by some oaf with an axe."

"Weapons?" the big man asked simply.

"Single sword." the blonde man said icily.

They walked to the clearing in the middle of the camp. A massive fire was burning in the center, and Drake shrugged off his coat and weapons, leaving them in a pile as the two of them took their places.

"Duel!" someone cried, and the tired-looking soldiers began to gather, forming a circle around the two combatants. Daeric tossed the big man a sword, the weapon looking pitifully small in his hands. He laughed quietly, tossing it back.

"I'll be fine with these," he said with a smirk, holding up his fists.

The blonde man suddenly stepped in, sending a thrust toward Drake's heart. The big man dodged, the blade missing him by less than an inch. "Wow." he muttered, dodging another attack. "You're fast."

His opponent snarled and sent a vicious slash toward his face, he ducked effortlessly and the return swing whistled toward his neck. Drake caught it on one of his arm-guards and slammed a kick to the man's midsection, doubling him over and sending him fifteen feet back. The crowd gasped.

"Aw crap..." Drake muttered. "You okay?" The man stood angrily, brandishing his sword again as he coughed. He feinted high and sent a stab toward the big man's stomach. Drake read the attack and caught the sword between his palms, stopping him in his tracks.

"Fight me seriously!" the blonde man yelled.

"You asked for it." Drake said calmly. His muscles tensed and the sword snapped an inch above the hilt. The big man backhanded his opponent, sending him to the ground, unmoving. Drake turned back to TenTen, seeing a look of alarm cross her features. He heard the hiss of a weapon leaving its scabbard and spun.

"Die!" the blond man yelled. Drake caught the man's knife-arm, the blade mere inches from his neck, and examined it in the firelight. Clear liquid was running from grooves cut into the blade, pooling at the tip.

"Poison?" Drake asked, his voice full of scorn as he looked to the audience. "How many other fights has he won like this?" They refused to meet his eyes, and a realization struck him, his eyes narrowing as they turned back to his opponent. "This is how you got rid of Bress."

Panic entered the blonde man's eyes, and he dropped the knife, catching it in his free hand. What happened next was almost too fast to see. Drake caught the thrust with his left hand, his right fist slamming into the elbow. There was an audible crack, and then the blonde man's arm snapped the wrong way, the dagger embedding itself in his chest. Shock registered in the blond man's eyes and he cried out.

"See?" Drake asked, his tone cold as he released his grip, dropping the man to the ground. "If you hadn't tried to knife me in the back you might have walked away from this fight." The light faded from the blond man's eyes. He died without a sound, the rest of the assembled fighters looking on in shock as Drake leaned down to close his eyes. The big man's voice made them jump. "Get this body out of my camp."

"Yes sir!" Two men rushed to obey.

"Twenty two forty one." TenTen heard the big man say sadly, turning to address the assembled mercenaries. "Since we're fighting, anyone else want a shot at command?"

"I'll fight." Daeric said levelly. Drake smiled an approving smile. "Weapons?"

"Weapon of choice." the big man said with a smile.

Daeric spun his spear in a few quick warm-ups, and his old mentor retrieved Snaga. They both dropped into fighting stances, knowing the fight would be decided in the first few moments. No fight between an axe and a weapon composed primarily of wood could ever really last.

Daeric charged, intent on ending it quickly. His spear licked out, stabbing toward Drake's dominant shoulder. Snaga's blades deflected the spearhead, but the younger man just kept attacking. He waited until Drake's eyes were on the head of the spear, then struck out with the blunted end.

Drake's hand shot out, catching the pommel inches away from his throat. Snaga sliced through the haft of the spear, leaving Daeric with about four feet attached to the blade. The young spearman seized the moment and swung the remaining portion like a quarterstaff, cracking Drake in the temple with the blunt end. He swung again and Drake caught the haft between Snaga's twin points, twisting the axe to lock their weapons. He forced the shortened spear down and spun to hammer a crescent kick to the younger man's side. Daeric lost his grip on the weapon and clawed desperately at Drake's boot, falling behind the big man. Drake turned, raising Snaga, and heard the smaller man surge to his feet. The big man started to bring Snaga down, but froze when he felt something prick the skin of his abdomen. He looked down.

Daeric held one of Shanks' knives, the point resting against the big man's abdomen, ready to gut him if Snaga moved. Drake glanced to the empty sheath on the boot he'd taken a kick from.

"Well done!" he laughed, dropping Snaga to the ground and raising his arms in surrender. Daeric relinquished the knife, the tall man replacing it in his boot with practiced ease. They shook hands and the crowd cheered, rushing in to hoist Daeric up on their shoulders and parade him around the camp.

"Put me down, you jackasses." he laughed after the noise finally died down a bit. "And somebody find Chen, tell him we're all _hungry_." another cheer sounded, and the mercenaries set about their tasks with a newfound energy.

Daeric walked back over to where Drake stood, watching the scene with a nostalgic smile. The two of them walked out of the camp, TenTen following closely.

"I'm impressed." Drake admitted when the two of them were out of earshot.

"You were holding back." the younger man said simply.

"True." the big man admitted, "But that trick with the knife was awesome. I honestly didn't see it coming. You could have gutted me if you'd wanted to."

"Thought about it." the smaller man admitted with a smirk. "You broke my spear. I _liked_ that spear."

"TenTen?" Drake asked. She nodded and pulled a small scroll from her pocket, unfurling it and looking for a specific seal. A small puff of smoke later, she tossed him a spear the likes of which he'd never seen.

It was the same size as his old spear, the haft jet black. The head was what caught his eye though. The metal was curved, and a blade ran the entire length. He gently ran his thumb over it, coming back with a tiny cut across the pad. It was razor sharp. His face lit up, stepping a few feet away and whirling the new weapon to test the balance.

"It's called a naginata." TenTen explained, watching him get accustomed to the different balance. "A weapon from back home." He continued thrusting and parrying against imaginary attacks, eventually leaping through the air and slashing with the curved blade.

"Like a kid with a new toy." Drake muttered with a smile.

"This thing is awesome." he said, still spinning and stabbing. "Thank you."

"You're welcome." TenTen said with a smile, stepping in to plant a quick kiss on Drake's cheek. "I Think I'll go see if Ino or Sakura need any help."

"Wait." Drake caught her and pulled her into a slightly longer lasting kiss. The kiss deepened of it's own accord, and their tongues fought for dominance for a while. Eventually they broke for air. "Okay," he smiled. "Now you can go."

"So how am I supposed to get into Sharn?" Daeric asked, his good mood evident as he swung his new weapon. "They're watching all of the borders."

"I have a ship you can use." Drake explained. "It'll be a bit crowded, but a mercenary company arriving at one of the ports is a pretty standard affair."

"The men won't fight for free." Daeric said sadly. "You've saved my life a dozen times, but they aren't so..." he paused. "idealistic."

"I came prepared." the big man nodded, shrugging his backpack off and rummaging through it. Daeric heard the clinking of countless coins, and he stopped practicing, turning to see Drake produce a massive bag of coins. He tossed it to the smaller man. "Will that be enough?" Daeric caught the bag, and had to drop his new weapon as the momentum threatened to knock him over. Lowering it to the ground, he opened the ties and peered inside at the countless gold pieces.

"That'll do." he admitted, turning. "Gah!" Kakashi and Naruto had returned, watching in perfect silence from Drake's side.

"Go talk to your men." Drake said simply.

"What do I tell them?"

"What I told you, that you're headed into Sharn." the big man paused. "Give them a few days off to rest up though. Morale is too low." The younger man nodded and excused himself, heading back toward the center of camp. "What'd you find?"

"The surviving Joinings were in a cave about ten miles west of here." Naruto spoke up. "We took care of them."

"I have my dogs tracking where they came from," Kakashi joined the conversation. "But we can relax for tonight. Spend some time with TenTen, she hasn't been herself without you."

Chen sighed, wiping the sweat from his eyes. Apparently some stranger had come in and killed the captain. Truth be told, Chen had never liked the man, but it was still sad. Now they wanted him to cook again. He'd been working with nothing but dried meat and stale bread for what seemed like an eternity.

He tasted a piece of his latest creation and grimaced. It was awful. He'd been using increasingly high amounts of onions and garlic to try and hide the bitter taste of the dried meat. It had worked a little too well, and now the food just tasted like onions and garlic. He tossed the plate aside and tried to think, taking off his hat and running his fingers through his graying hair. The men all had their own rations, but he felt guilty staying in their camp without contributing, so he cooked.

*_Never thought I'd see the day..._* he mused internally, *_I have all the spices I could ever need, but nothing to season._* He heard someone walking up to his tent and hurriedly replaced his hat. The flap to his tent was pushed open, and a voice he hadn't heard in ages echoed in.

"It's been a while." the voice spoke, and Chen wondered if he was hearing things. A huge silhouette loomed in the doorway. "You've lost weight, Chen."

"Drake?" the portly man asked, wiping the onion-tears from his eyes and blinking to try and get a better look. "It was _you_?"

"It's good to see you, Chen." the tall man admitted, stepping into the tent.

"Nobody heard anything for years." Chen laughed, his mood lifting as he shook the younger man's hand. "I figured they finally got you."

"Almost." Drake smiled back.

"You've grown." Chen mused. "Look at you! You're as tall as a mountain."

"And you still like exaggerating." Drake chuckled. "I brought you something."

"Oh?" the older man asked, his eyebrows rising as Drake reached into a pocket and produced the scroll Ino had sealed the fish in.

"I'll go find one of my friends to unseal it." he said simply, turning to step outside. As he turned, Chen snatched it from his hands and unrolled it on the table, forming a hand-seal.

"Fish?" Chen gasped in delight as the smoke cleared. "I haven't served fish in _months_." He turned and formed another hand-seal, throwing a tiny ball of fire across the tent to start the stove.

"Chen..." Drake muttered, his eyes wide. "You're a ninj...?"

"Shh." the portly man cut him off with a smile, lifting a single finger to his lips in the gesture of secrecy. He gestured to the fish. "How old is it? How long was it dead before you sealed it?"

"Maybe an hour?" Drake answered, still shocked.

"Beautiful!" Chen beamed. "Boys!" he yelled, his voice carrying through the tent and outside. "I'm making fish for supper!"

A loud cheer sounded from the camp around them. Chen began working furiously, cutting the fish into smaller portions. He glanced up at Drake.

"Well?" he asked irritably. "Are you going to stand there and stare or are you going to help me?"

Drake chuckled, tossing his coat and armguards under the table and moving to wash his hands.

After staring at the door for a few minutes, TenTen finally ducked into the huge medical tent, breathing through her mouth to avoid the smell of blood. There were injured men sleeping on cots everywhere, and the form of what TenTen guessed was the unit medic was on the floor, sleeping peacefully.

"TenTen." Ino said, noticing her and suddenly looking pale. "What brings you to these parts?"

"Drake and his protege are talking." she said simply. "You two need anything?"

"I'm fine." Sakura spoke calmly. "Why don't you get some fresh air, Ino? You don't look so good." Sakura saw the barely perceptible glare enter Ino's eyes for a moment and chuckled inwardly. There had been an almost tangible sense of tension between the blonde woman and the weapon mistress during the day-long run to the battlefield. They clearly had a few things to talk out.

"That sounds good." the blonde girl admitted with a feigned smile. "Wanna go for a walk Ten-chan?"

"Okay." the weapon mistress admitted with another fake smile.

They walked in silence for a while until TenTen broke the silence.

"You seem tense." she said without emotion.

"Do I?" Ino asked, a little more confrontational than she'd intended.

"So what happened?"

"Nothing much." the blonde said simply.

"Liar." TenTen muttered. A long, tense silence formed, the only sound the barely audible impact of their feet on the earth.

"What do you want me to say?" Ino asked after a while.

"Just show me." she said irritably. Ino sighed. Her hands flashed through a complex series of hand seals, eventually resting her palm on TenTen's forehead as the weapon mistress closed her eyes.

TenTen watched the events unfold. She watched Drake battle the ANBU squad, watched Ino heal him, saw the awkward moments between the two of them. She continued watching, feeling irritation building at how close the two of them had become. Suddenly she felt Ino's emotions and her irritation vanished. She felt how attracted Ino was becoming to Drake and watched her holding back in situations that could have clearly escalated otherwise. She felt how much pain it had caused her to see him so depressed. Through it all, she felt how _hard_ it had been on the blonde girl, being so close to him but unable to act. The memories continued.

Ino watched TenTen's eyelids flutter as her own memories of the past month flashed through the brunette's mind and anticipated the coming conversation with growing dread. TenTen's brown eyes opened and Ino felt cold sweat forming on the back of her neck.

"Thank you for taking care of him." TenTen said after a few moments, her expression softening.

"I'm sorry." Ino said softly.

"For what?"

"You aren't mad?" The blonde woman asked in disbelief.

"Why would I be mad?" the weapon mistress asked. "You helped him get this far."

"Not that!" the blonde woman challenged, "I practically threw myself at him."

"No you didn't." TenTen said simply. "You were thinking about _me_ and feeling guilty the whole time."

"Not the _whole_ time." Ino admitted, a blush darkening her cheeks. A long, almost comfortable silence formed. Ino didn't speak until they'd walked to the outskirts of the camp and found a comfortable place to sit. "You're taking this a lot better than I expected." she finally admitted.

"You expected me to freak out when I found out that we have similar taste in men?" TenTen asked, laying back and staring at the stars. "And to somehow _not_ think that it would make me the biggest hypocrite ever?"

"When you say it like that, it sounds really stupid." Ino admitted, staring at the ground. "But yeah, I did."

"I can't blame you for liking him." the weapon mistress said honestly. "That being said, if you try to steal him, it is _on_."

"I won't steal him." Ino said with a chuckle. "I still can't believe you're taking this so well."

"You helped him when I couldn't." TenTen said simply, springing to her feet. "We both know that man usually needs a medic like Chouji needs food."

Ino laughed, feeling herself relax. "It's true."

"Still friends?" TenTen asked, offering Ino a hand.

"Still friends." The blonde woman agreed, taking the hand and being pulled to her feet. A question sprang, unbidden, to her mind. "How'd you guys know where we were anyway?"

"I got a few answers out of Shikamaru." TenTen smiled mischievously starting to walk back toward the center of camp.

"All the information was classified." Ino muttered. "What did you _do_ to him?"

"Broke his arm in three places." TenTen admitted. "I was about half a day behind your ANBU team when I met up with the others. We caught up to that ship you guys left behind and they told us where you were headed."

"They were supposed to keep quiet." Ino thought aloud. "What's the word in the village?"

"Team Kakashi's official mission is to bring you and Drake back to the village alive, no matter how long it takes." TenTen paused, thinking. "Me too, in all likelihood, since I kind of left without permission."

"And unofficially?"

"Backup." The weapon mistress said simply. "Two full teams will have a better chance than two people." Ino nodded and the smell of fresh food wafted from one of the nearby tents, making both of their stomachs growl.

"I'm starved." she said, her normal mood returning. "Let's go find Sakura and get some food."

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	34. A Stray Catt

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Drake and TenTen walked quietly into the meager graveyard. There were maybe thirty stones, each crudely carved and engraved. It had taken them about seven hours to run from the mercenary camp to the small town. The two of them split up, until TenTen found the grave they'd been looking for.

"Over here!" she called. He jogged over. The inscription on the headstone was simple.

_BRESS_

_Mentor - Guardian - Friend_

Drake just stared for a few minutes, then dropped his pack and rummaged around for something, eventually producing an item that TenTen recognized. It was the hilt of the sword that Drake had broken, the sword of the mercenary unit's former captain.

"Hello old man." Drake said quietly, setting the broken sword hilt atop the headstone. "Got him for you."

TenTen watched in silence as the man she loved tried to think of what else to say.

"You were always trying to teach me, even though I never listened. You taught me that every person has a path." Drake said sadly. "I was cold, I was arrogant, and probably the worst student you ever had. Through it all though, you still took care of me."

She watched as he knelt, bowing his head. The big man touched two fingers to his forehead, then the space over his heart, and finally to the ground over the grave.

"Thank you old man." he said simply. "I finally found my path. I wish you could've seen it."

Drake turned to leave, and TenTen dropped to one knee. She repeated the gesture, touching her forehead, her chest, and the grave before speaking quietly. "Thank you for protecting him."

She jogged over to where Drake was standing, fixing his pack. "If we run," he contemplated aloud. "we can be back by tonight."

"Or we could walk." TenTen she said with a mischievous grin, appearing in front of him and wrapping her arms around his neck to pull him down into a kiss. "...and be back in two days."

"Or..." he paused, thinking. "We could _say_ we walked _both_ ways," He lifted her off the ground and into another kiss. "Spend three days here at the inn, and be gone for four days."

"Mmm.." she smiled. "We have a winner."

They walked to the Inn, her hand finding its way into his of its own accord, and paid for a night. The room was tiny, consisting of a dresser and a small bed underneath a window.

He hung his coat on the back of the door, and set his weapons against the far wall. TenTen did likewise with her swords. Stepping toward the rickety-looking bed, he inspected it. I was clean at least, even if it looked like it'd collapse if more than a feather landed on it.

He turned back toward her just in time to be shoved down onto the bed. The frame creaked audibly, but held. TenTen chuckled, moving to straddle him and lifting his shirt up over his shoulders.

"I missed you." she said huskily, unbuttoning her own top. He slid it off her shoulders and pulled her down into a heated kiss, wrapping his arms around her.

"I missed you too." he squeezed her tightly and kissed her again. This time her arms snaked around his neck and held him there. They continued kissing, their tongues fighting for dominance as his hands slowly unwound the bindings covering her chest.

A sound stopped them. It was the roar of a crowd, coming closer. Drake just held TenTen close and listened. The mob came closer, and then started to recede.

"Witch!" someone cried, their voice audible through the wall of the Inn.

"Witch!" another agreed.

"Burn her!"

"To the stake!"

"They aren't after _me_." Drake sighed in relief, and TenTen pulled him into another heated kiss. He rolled her onto her side, sucking and nibbling gently on her neck while she moaned. He glanced out the fogged window and saw the angry mob, all torches, pitchforks, and self-righteous fury. The woman they were carrying came into view, and his heart sank. "Ugh." he sighed, stopping his ministrations.

"Let me guess," TenTen grumbled flatly, gauging the look on his face as his arms left her sides and he moved to stand. "She's not a witch."

"No no..." he muttered with a bitter laugh, moving to don his shirt and swinging his coat over his shoulders. "She _is_ a witch. She's just a witch that I owe money."

"So what's the plan?" the weapon mistress asked, grudgingly restoring her own clothes.

"Do you have any flash or smoke bombs?"

"Of course." she nodded, rummaging through her pack and tossing him two of each. He caught them carefully.

"I'll create a diversion. Then you jump in and grab her." he said simply. She nodded again. "Then we leave."

Pushing the window open, the two of them leapt lightly to a nearby rooftop, making as little noise as possible. It wasn't hard to evade the notice of the angry mob as they tied the unfortunate woman to the stake, piling wood underneath her. TenTen and Drake stealthily made their way to a building overlooking the plaza. Drake held up his fingers, signaling a countdown.

_Three..._ Oil was poured over the wood and splattered over the woman's clothes.

_Two..._ The crowd was baying for blood, several stones flew to hit the woman's defenseless form.

_One..._ A torch was thrown, and the fire roared up. The woman screamed.

"Go." Drake mouthed, hurling the flashbombs into the pyre and covering his eyes. A second later, they detonated, temporarily blinding most of the crowd. Drake swept his power out as he hurled the smokebombs. The smoke exploded outwards, blanketing the crowd. The flames died a split-second before TenTen grabbed the barely-conscious girl, leaping back up to the rooftop and handing her to Drake. They took off running across the rooftops, headed into the forest surrounding the town.

Once they were in the clear, TenTen inspected the girl they had rescued. She looked to be about their age, maybe a few years younger. She was in shape, but lacked the athletic build TenTen or any of the other kunoichi had, wearing a brown robe that would have showcased her figure fairly well had it not been ripped and burnt in a dozen places. Her eyes and hair were the color of singed tree bark. TenTen guessed that the girl would be a few inches shorter than herself if she stood up. There were agonizing looking burn marks across her legs and back, and she had angry bruises marring almost all of her unburned flesh.

"We need to find a cherry tree." Drake said frantically. "She's dying." The two of them flew through the treetops, and eventually they found the tree they were looking for. Drake rummaged through the woman's robes, finally coming away with a tattered leather glove with some kind of symbols inked across the knuckles.

"What are you doing?" TenTen asked as he laid the girl where all the tree's branches met. "We need to get her back to camp before..." TenTen's breath caught in her throat. The unconscious girl was sinking into the tree like it was made of quicksand. She just sank , no ripple disturbing the surface of the wood until she vanished entirely.

"Before you ask." Drake muttered. "I have _no idea_ how she does it. I've just seen her do it before, and all of her powers are me-proof."

"What now?" TenTen inquired, sighing.

"Well, we need to get her away from town." he reasoned. "She'll need a few hours in there to heal. We should be able to make it back to camp by then."

"But she's in the tree." TenTen said, pointing.

"As I said, I have no idea how it works, so I'll just say _'Watch.'_" he muttered. "We can head back toward camp. She'll catch up."

"...in a tree?" TenTen was still lost.

The journey back toward the camp was silent, until they had nearly arrived, when TenTen suddenly chuckled, a mischievous glint in her eyes. "What?" he asked.

"Completely random." she mused. "I'm thinking I'm just going to have to start ambushing you for sex. It seems like whenever we actually have a _plan_, something interrupts us."

"This language does not have enough words to express how in-favor of this idea I am." he said blankly.

"Well we're five minutes from the camp." TenTen giggled. "I could ambush you here if you like."

"Gotta find another cherry tree first." he said simply. "Then you can ambush me all you like."

They continued flying through the treetops, and eventually a massive cherry tree came into view. The trunk was easily four feet across, dwarfing the surrounding trees. They landed and Drake removed the metal guard from his right arm, sliding the glove he'd taken from the girl onto his hand.

He laid his hand on the trunk of the tree, palm down, and spoke a few words in a language she didn't understand. TenTen was about to ask what he'd said when the symbols on the glove started to glow. The color reminded her of the chakra medics used to heal, but was much brighter. Drake's palm began to sink into the tree, just as the girl had some hours before. She watched in awe as the hand, then his forearm, then his elbow all vanished into the trunk of the massive tree. He felt around inside the tree for a few moments, and then the muscles of his arm tensed.

He flexed the muscles of the arm and pulled, taking a step back. His elbow reappeared, then his forearm, then finally his gloved hand, clasped around a much smaller hand. TenTen watched, transfixed, as he slowly pulled the girl they'd rescued out of the massive tree.

She was completely healed, looking like she'd never even been through the horrific ordeal. Her hair had changed, now the bright green of new leaves. Her skin was completely unmarked, the tan color of someone who spends their entire life in the sun, and a few light freckles adorned her cheeks. Her robe was likewise restored, looking as though it had just been made. Her eyes opened, glowing the same color as her hair. There was something about those eyes that made TenTen feel uneasy. Something primal and powerful seemed to lurk in them as the green glow faded to a warm hazel. The girl glanced at her surroundings, sighing in relief when she realized she wasn't in the village anymore. She turned to regard Drake.

"So you _didn't_ die." she muttered, a tiny trickle of relief trickling into her voice.

"Tried it once." Drake smirked, gesturing to TenTen. "She didn't approve."

"Good girl." The green-haired girl said approvingly, turning to Drake and narrowing her eyes. "So where's my money?"

"Nice to see you too." he chuckled, rummaging through his coat and throwing her what money he had left when he found it. She counted it quickly.

"This is a little short."

"I figured the whole _us saving you from a fiery death_ bit might be worth a few crowns." he deadpanned.

"And maybe a _thank you_ or something." TenTen muttered under her breath. "Damn."

"So you found her." The green-haired girl walked around TenTen and inspected her from head to toe. "Told you you'd meet your match. Hello TenTen."

"How did you know my name?" the brunette asked suspiciously, as Drake dropped to one knee so the girl could drape her arms over his shoulders.

"TenTen, meet Catt." the big man introduced, standing and starting to run back toward the camp. "Fortune teller extraordinaire."

"I prefer _Druid_." Catt said irritably.

"What's a druid?" TenTen asked, her curiosity piqued as she ran alongside them. "And how can she help us?"

"A Druid is one who follows the old ways." the green-haired girl elaborated. "We are at one with nature, and nature protects us. We are given long lives in which to take care of the forests, among other things."

"Now think of all the personality traits that those things would normally entail, and throw them out the window." Drake said with a smirk, pointing at Catt. "And you'll get _her_."

"Why do I get the feeling it's the _among other things_ part we need her for?" TenTen asked.

"We need to find Old Man Tachi to re-arm Team Kakashi." Drake explained. "And if Kakashi's dogs can't find where the Joinings are being made, we'll need to find that out too."

"And you can help us?" TenTen raised an eyebrow.

"I can tell you exactly where to find them," Catt smirked. "but I need to have a vision first."

"So _have_ one." the weapon-mistress said sarcastically. "Seems simple enough."

"No." Drake shook his head. "For that we'll need Kakashi."

"Why Kakashi?" TenTen was confused.

"He's single." the big man said bluntly. "Catt's visions take very... _specific_... conditions."

"What conditions?"

"Think of a good situation, one that's completely _natural_, during which your senses are all on overdrive and you feel like you could just die." Catt offered with a smile, waiting a moment for her words to sink in. Comprehension dawned in TenTen's eyes. "_Those_ conditions."

"Oh..." TenTen said, blushing. "Got it."

"Without a full vision I only get fragments and glimpses." she explained. "Nothing that will be of any use."

"So," Drake muttered. "Unless our relationship is taking a new direction I'm not aware of, Kakashi gets to help Catt have a vision."

They walked into a clearing, about a mile from the actual camp, and noticed the small campfire set up there. Ino was sitting nearby, just staring up at the stars. Drake walked up and set Catt down.

"This is Catt." he said without ceremony. "She's the fortune teller who told me to try my luck at the hidden villages." Ino raised an eyebrow. "Number two of the three."

"Ah." the blonde girl nodded her understanding, waving a greeting.

"I told you, I'm not a damn fortune teller," Catt grumbled. "I'm a Druid." An awkward silence started to form, and she turned to the blonde girl. "Hello Ino. Have you been doing your part?"

"How do you know my name?" the blond girl asked, tilting her head to study the green-haired woman.

"It's a gift." Catt said with a smirk. "I can tell someone's name just by looking at them. So where's this Kakashi character?"

"Back at the camp." Ino answered stoically. "Probably up to his nose in his porn."

"I like him already." the green-haired woman smiled approvingly.

"I'm gonna go find him." Drake said quickly, smiling and stepping in to plant a quick kiss on TenTen's lips. "Back in a few."

"Okay." she nodded.

"Never have I seen a man who hates what he is more than that one." Catt said as she watched him go, her voice uncharacteristically soft. She moved to sit next to TenTen. "And I've _never_ seen him smile like that. I'm glad he found the two of you."

"The two of us?" Ino asked, her curiosity trickling into her voice as she sat up.

"You knew he'd find us?" TenTen asked, just as curious.

"I'd hoped." the green-haired girl admitted. "When I met him he was completely broken. He'd given up on himself, but was too proud to just end it. He asked me, _Where can I find someone who can kill me if I fight with everything I have?_"

"What could make him so...?" TenTen's voice trailed off.

"Why?" Ino summed up the question on both their minds.

"He'd tried to put his killing days behind him." Catt explained. "He was staying in a small village, little more than a couple families really. A kindhearted family had taken him in. He had everything he'd wanted from the start, parents, a home, and even a little sister who practically worshiped him." Ino smiled at the image.

"What happened?" TenTen asked, a sense of foreboding filling her mind.

"One day he was out hunting deer, and a group of bounty hunters descended on the village, looking for him." Catt's voice lost all emotion. "They butchered the children and tortured the adults for information before heading into the woods to find him. Drake returned just in time for the little girl to die in his arms." Tears started to fall freely down TenTen's face.

"What then?" Ino asked, her voice sounding much calmer than she actually was.

"He picked up his bow and hunted them down." the green-haired girl said, voice still emotionless. "Twenty eight men, and not one of them took less than an hour to die. He tortured them, like they'd tortured the villagers. When it was over, he realized that he'd become exactly what he'd been running from."

"And then?" Ino asked sadly.

"Like I said, he was completely broken, so he came to me. I peered into his futures. There are always _billions_ of potential outcomes." she explained. "But there was _one_ in which Little Drake would survive long enough to find you two, your village, and some measure of happiness. So I tried to steer him toward you. I told him he'd meet his match when he found the warriors with their allegiance on their foreheads. I'm glad he did."

"So am I." Ino and TenTen said in unison.

"He's coming back." Catt whispered. "Don't tell him anything we talked about, it will only bring back old pain."

Ino nodded, and TenTen wiped the tears from her eyes. Drake came back into view, Naruto, Sakura, and Daeric following him closely.

"Kakashi's meeting with Pakkun. He'll be back in a few minutes." Drake explained, returning. He laid down, resting his head in TenTen's lap.

"That was fast." TenTen said with a small smile. "Did you tell him why we need him?"

"Yes." he nodded, looking up into her eyes. It looked like she'd been crying. "You okay?"

"I'm fine." she smiled again. "Just smoke from the fire."

"How is it that whenever you leave you come back with _more_ hot women?" Daeric spoke, sitting down between Catt and TenTen. The four girls all turned and stared at him. "I _really_ need to stop thinking with my mouth."

"That wasn't your mouth thinking, little one." Catt said with a smirk, patting him on the head.

"Why does everyone keep doing that?" he asked, blushing and moving to sit beside Ino.

"You're just so... innocent." Ino explained, reaching up to ruffle his hair as soon as he came within reach.

"It's adorable." Sakura agreed as he moved again.

"I don't _want_ to be adorable." He fumed, blushing a deeper shade of red. "Quit it."

"They're just doing it because they know it gets this reaction out of you." Drake said sleepily, not opening his eyes. Catt threw a pebble, hitting him square in the temple with an audible smack. "Ow!"

"Spoilsport." she muttered. They all laughed. A comfortable silence started to form.

"Why do you keep looking at me like that?" Daeric shattered it, blushing under Catt's gaze.

"I envy you." she admitted honestly. "Your world is so simple. You're still in the springtime of your youth." The five ninja all snorted, barely holding back laughter as Lee's screaming image popped into their heads. "What?" Catt raised a green eyebrow. "Did I say something funny?"

"Long story." TenTen said after a moment.

"Do you even know if Young Tachi is still alive?" the green-haired girl changed the subject.

"He's alive." Drake said, eyes still closed. "I have it from a _very_ good source that he hasn't died yet."

"Wait..." Daeric cut in, "_Young_ Tachi?" He turned to glare at Drake. "You told me that Tachi was like seventy!"

"He is." the big man agreed, looking up at TenTen. "You have a comfy lap."

"How the hell can he be young then?" Daeric continued, turning back to Catt. "You're tiny. You look _my_ age. _Little_ One. _Young_ Tachi. You talk to everyone like we're children."

"You all _are_ children to me." she said neutrally.

"How the hell old _are_ you?" he asked, narrowing his eyes. "Forty? Fifty?"

"Two hundred and eighty four." she said evenly. His expression shattered. "You'll be a kid to me until the day you die."

"What will I be then?" he asked cautiously.

"A _dead_ kid." she said as if it were obvious. His shoulders slumped.

"Catt." Drake chuckled. "If you were aiming for _darkly humorous_ you just overshot all the way to _just plain mean_." She threw another pebble, hitting the welt the first had made. "Ow! Stop doing that!"

"You'll survive, Little Drake." she said with a scowl.

"Stop calling him that." TenTen cut in with a smile, running her fingers through the big man's hair. "Call him young. He's a lot of things. Little is _not_ one of them."

"Ew." Daeric groaned, covering his eyes. "I just pictured that. Why would you do that?"

"I love how I don't even need to be here." Drake muttered to nobody in particular. "My qualities speak for themselves."

"Actually it was mostly TenTen speaking for them." Sakura said with a chuckle. "That last night we spent in Suna you two kind of left your balcony door open. I think the whole village heard you." Drake blushed.

"He's good with his hands." TenTen smiled, still playing with his hair. "Among other things."

"Ew." Daeric repeated.

"It wasn't a bad thing." Naruto chuckled. "Thanks to you, I'm pretty sure no one heard _us_." Sakura punched him lightly and Daeric groaned again, standing to leave. "...and then we broke your apprentice's mind."

"Who broke who's mind?" Kakashi asked, appearing from the direction that the young mercenary had been heading.

"Gah!" Daeric jumped. "Why do you always do that?"

"Old habit." the masked man muttered, walking over and sitting down next to Catt. "Hello." he greeted her. "Kakashi."

"Catt." she said, sizing him up with a gleam in her eye that could only be described as predatory. "Would you like to go for a walk?"

"I think I would." he admitted, standing and offering her his arm. "Shall we?"

"I think we shall." she smirked, looping her own arm in his and pulling him off toward the forest.

"Damn that man works fast." Drake thought aloud.

"So does _she_." Ino marveled.

"We're going to go for a walk too." Sakura said to the group, rising from Naruto's side and helping him up. The blonde man began walking into the forest, in a different direction than Catt and Kakashi had headed.

"Right. Because we don't all totally know you're sneaking off to fuck." Ino deadpanned. Sakura blushed, turning and jogging after Naruto. Ino turned to Drake and TenTen. "Go on."

"What?" TenTen asked.

"You two haven't had any time to yourselves since Suna." the blonde girl said, feigning a smile.

"We can't just leave you here all alone." TenTen said guiltily.

"I'll just go mess with the kid or something, maybe work on my sword technique." she paused. "These guys all treat me like a princess anyway. _Go_."

"Thank you, Ino." TenTen said with a sympathetic smile. The brunette's hand snaked into Drake's coat and then tossed her something. Ino caught the object It was a tiny plastic device, with a pair of headphones wrapped around it. She raised an eyebrow. The weapon mistress shrugged. "He's not going to use them."

"Thanks." Ino nodded with a much more genuine smile.

Drake closed his left eye, looking up at TenTen and imitating Kakashi's voice as best he could. "Shall _we_?"

She leaned down and kissed him. "We shall." They stood and walked off into the trees, leaving Ino to her thoughts.

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	35. Home

They had run for somewhere around ten minutes. The forest suddenly opened up, forming a clearing around the shore of a small river. TenTen landed in the center, staring up into the sky. Drake's momentum carried him to the edge of the water.

"TenTen?" Drake asked, turning back to her. "I think... Gah!" She tackled him into the water. It wasn't deep, but it was cold, and he ended up half-submerged. He looked up into her eyes and she smiled, wrapping her arms around the back of his head. The kiss was gentle, and he wrapped his arms around her back, letting the moment linger.

"Stop thinking." she ordered softly, easing her way back to let him sit up.

"You know me." he said sadly, bringing himself into a crouch. "If it were that easy, I'd just st..." She tackled him again, pulling him into another kiss. This time her momentum sent them out deeper, and the weight of his gear sent them to the bottom. The kiss didn't stop this time, TenTen brushing his lips with her tongue until he opened them and allowed her in. Her tongue darted into his mouth and teased him until he fought back, rolling her onto her back and returning the kiss with more passion. She shivered with pleasure at the intensity. He was kissing her like he hadn't seen her in years, and it was a good feeling. She returned the kiss with equal fervor. Underwater, the kiss couldn't last as long as they'd like, and they broke to kick up to the surface.

"On the other hand..." he muttered, catching his breath and treading water. She wrapped her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist, and they each made a point to take a _very_ deep breath before their weight set them sinking again. This time the kiss lasted, and Drake's hands moved of their own accord, mapping the arch of her back, the curve of her hips, the firmness of her thighs. TenTen moaned involuntarily, sending bubbles streaming to the surface. Drake's feet touched the bottom and he kicked, sending them both back to the surface. They each gasped for air before he finished his thought. "...you present a very compelling argument." She smiled happily, resting her head on his shoulder as he tread water for the both of them. His arms returned to her back, wrapping around her and holding her close.

"Relax." she whispered, lifting her head from his shoulder. He felt her hands form a seal behind his head, and she ran her fingers through his soaked hair, the fingertips of her other hand gently ghosting over his neck and shoulders. Every touch sent little sparks of electricity through him, a tingling sensation shooting down his spine and setting his nerves alight.

"How are you doing that?" he shivered, his eyes closing as the feeling intensified.

"I can turn my chakra into electricity." she purred into his ear, running both hands through his hair. "I can use that to stimulate your nerves, and make them as sensitive as I want."

He gasped again as her hands found the sensitive spots on the sides of his neck. She pulled him down into another kiss, her hands trailing lazy circles across his neck and shoulders. The kiss broke and she gently scraped her nails down the back of his neck, making him shiver as the sensations were amplified. Her hands trailed lower, sending tingles of sensation through his shoulders, and then his back. She hit his coat, and the steel rings sent the electricity dancing across his back and shoulders, but her hands kept going. They disappeared below the surface of the water and slipped inside the coat. Drake groaned when her hands slid under his shirt and ghosted across his abs. The amplified sensations were definitely less innocent in nature now. He buried his head in her shoulder, his breath warm even through her soaked kimono-top.

"Wait..." he blinked. "Does this mean you've been training your chakra control _just_ for the next time we started making out?" She narrowed her eyes, and her nails suddenly scraped down his abs, the sudden jolt causing him to bite down involuntarily. TenTen gasped as his teeth closed on the join of her shoulder and neck. For the first time, she was glad she still had a shirt on. That definitely would have hurt otherwise.

"Wow..." she mused. "_That_ got a reaction." She scraped her nails across his abdomen again, trailing down to his belt and stopping. Drake groaned into her shoulder as the thunderstorm of sensation danced through his midsection and pooled slightly lower. He caught her hands and pulled them away, his head resting on her shoulder.

"Whoa." he muttered dizzily. TenTen felt the chakra around her fingers dissipate and felt the familiar coolness of his power envelop the two of them, followed by the chill of the river.

"You're no fun." she pouted.

"I'm not complaining." he muttered, his breath ragged. "But much more of that and this night will be over _very_ quickly."

"So what do you suggest?" she asked.

"I think this river is bone-chillingly cold." he muttered. "I suggest we find somewhere warmer. You?"

"I agree." she nodded, releasing her grip on him and swimming toward the shore. "Let's get a fire going. You can keep me warm while our clothes dry."

"Wait..." he paused, an eyebrow arched. "Don't you have like ten sets of fresh clothes for each of us in your scro...?" she cut him off with another kiss.

"What did I say about thinking?"

"Yes ma'am." he smiled, the first full smile she'd seen from him since they'd left Suna.

Three minutes later, their clothes strewn about the clearing, TenTen tackled him again.

"I can't believe you actually keep _firewood_ in your scroll." He chuckled, kissing her forehead. "My lazy girlfriend."

"Not lazy." she pouted, lighting the kindling with a small arc of electricity. "Prepared."

"Lazy." he repeated with a smile. The fire began to grow. TenTen unfurled a small scroll beside him and touched her hand to it. There was another puff of smoke and a bedroll appeared underneath them, a blanket floating down lightly to settle on their forms. "...wow." he muttered.

"Prepared." she repeated with a smug smile.

"Okay." he admitted. "Prepared."

She spotted a dark blotch on his chest, just above his heart, and squinted, the firelight making it difficult to discern. The outline was too dark for a scar, and she realized what it was. "When did you get a tattoo?"

"The last day I was in Suna." he said quietly. "While you guys were out at breakfast."

"What does it say?" she squinted, trying to make the symbol out. He raised one shoulder, bringing his chest clearly into the firelight. She stiffened for a moment, and then smiled. "It's true..."

"What do you mean?" he asked quietly.

"This _is_ home." She kissed the tattoo gently before resting her cheek against it, his heartbeat loud in her ear. "Right here." He wrapped his arms around her and held the moment. "Now..." she began, her voice less tender and more suggestive. She slid up his body, and he was reminded for the first time that neither of them were wearing anything. "Where were we?"

"Somewhere around here." he smiled, pulling her down into a gentle kiss. The gentle tone didn't last long. Soon, the pent-up urges both of them had been suppressing were brought to the forefront. TenTen broke the kiss, and her mouth found its way to the side of his neck, nibbling and sucking gently. Drake's hands wandered down her sides, continuing to map all the curves he'd almost forgotten.

"You never did tell me where you learned that trick with your fingers." she whispered huskily into his ear. Drake tensed up, his hands stopping. "What?"

"You really want to hear this?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I asked, didn't I?"

"My first girlfriend taught it to me." he said simply. "It just isn't a story I'm fond of telling. Not a happy ending."

"What happened?"

"It was back when I was doing mercenary work. I was fighting for a rebel army on the far side of Sharn, and she was one of the rebels. We hit it off right off the bat, and whenever I wasn't fighting, we were together. We ended up hooking up about six months later."

"You don't really add much flair to your stories." TenTen observed dryly. "So what went wrong?"

"Remember the story for this one?" Drake asked, drawing a finger across the horizontal scar that ran along his collarbones.

TenTen furrowed her brow in concentration, staring at the scar. "Bounty hunter? You woke up just in time?" He nodded. "Did the hunter get her first or something?"

"She _was_ the bounty hunter." he said emotionlessly. "Turns out, the entire relationship was just a ruse so she could get close enough that I'd drop my guard. As soon as she thought I was asleep, she tried to slit my throat."

"What happened to her?" TenTen asked.

"She ran away." he muttered. "She thought I was going to kill her. Truth be told, I was too shocked to be angry."

"Did you love her?" The weapon-mistress asked, turning her head to examine his face.

"She was pretty, and she seemed genuinely interested in me." he paused. "In hindsight I can understand why. I learned from it, at any rate."

"You're amazing." TenTen muttered, kissing him lightly.

"Why?" he asked confused.

"The fact that you can make a situation like that actually sound _normal_." she chuckled, kissing him again. "Why do you get so tense when I bring it up?"

"Back then..." his voice trailed off. "I just don't like remembering the person I was."

"The person you _were_ doesn't matter to me." she said simply, looking into his eyes. "I love who you _**are**_."

He looked away, feeling all the negativity fleeing as quickly as it had come. "How the hell do you _always_ know the right thing to say?"

"Ancient family secret." she smiled. "I'll get the bitch's name for my Book of Grudges later. But now, if you don't mind, you have a very horny girlfriend on top of you, and she demands satisfaction."

"Yes ma'am." he chuckled with another smile.

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Four hours later, Ino was beginning to appreciate Drake's taste in music. When the others had left, she'd gone back to check on the medical tent. With the unit medic and all the injured sleeping peacefully, she'd gone to check on Chen and Daeric. The two of them were asleep now too, the exploits of the past day finally catching up to them. Then she'd returned to her fire.

Since then she'd been mentally mapping out all the music on Drake's headphones. He had it organized by mood, starting with the angriest songs and slowly working to the calmest. The big man's soul-song was the last song on the list, and she thumbed the device to find it.

The song started, and she closed her eyes, letting the music soothe her mind. She tried to understand the lyrics. They weren't in any language she recognized. She made a mental note to ask Drake about them when he and TenTen got back. The thought of them together sent a twinge of jealousy into her mind like a splinter. She opened her eyes, staring up at the stars.

They were the same, and it brought to mind something he'd said when they'd been sailing. He said the stars always made him feel better. They made him feel small.

"No matter what I accomplish... Compared to the stars, I'm tiny." He'd said. "I'm completely insignificant, but because of that, no matter how big they seem, my problems are all _just as_ insignificant. The trick is to see your problems on that scale, but not yourself."

It had made no sense to her, but she tried thinking about the scale of her problems in relation to the sky. It was true. To the stars, the fact that TenTen had gotten him first didn't matter at all. The sky wouldn't change, no matter what she accomplished. The thought was dark, but strangely comforting, relaxing her a little. Someone was coming. She tilted her head, turning off the music and listening to the footsteps. It was Sakura.

"Hey forehead," The blonde girl said without looking. "Where's your husband?"

"He's meditating." the pink-haired girl said simply, stretching out on the opposite side of the fire. "Doing his sage thing. How are you doing?"

"I'm fine." the blonde girl said a little too quickly. "Just thinking."

Sakura looked up at the cloudless sky. She'd known Ino since before their days at the Konoha Academy. The situation had been obvious to her from the beginning. Now that Ino had been alone with him for a while, it was getting painful for the blonde woman. "Have you checked on the medical tent?"

"A few hours ago." Ino nodded. "They're about due for another checkup."

"I'll go check." Sakura nodded, springing lightly to her feet and moving to do so.

The sound of footfalls broke her from her thoughts again, and Kakashi came into view. He was walking arm-in-arm with Catt, and the green-haired girl was swaying like she'd had a bit too much to drink. He walked her up to the fire and eased her down beside Ino. His eye darted around the clearing, looking for something. Ino spotted Pakkun waiting on one of the fringes. The little pug looked tired. Kakashi walked over to where he sat, and Catt mumbled something.

"What?" Ino asked, not making the word out.

"Seventeen." the green-haired girl mumbled.

"Seventeen what?" Ino asked, removing the headphones and sitting up.

"Seventeen visions." Catt said tiredly, slumping onto her back.

Ino chuckled to herself. Evidently Kakashi still had some tricks up his sleeve, even in _this_ department. "So did you find what Drake wanted?"

"And _then_ some..." the green-haired girl nodded, pushing herself back into a sitting position. "I'm still getting random flashes, but Young Tachi is about a week to the northwest. Just a day for you and your friends. He's set up a forge on the border of Sharn proper, in a secluded area of the mountains."

"Before..." Ino muttered, blushing slightly. "You said you were glad that Drake found the _two_ of us. What'd you mean?"

"I won't lie to you, little Ino." Catt said simply. "If you're hoping for a future between yourself and young Drake, you're probably setting yourself up for disappointment." Ino let out a sigh, her eyes falling to the ground. Catt moved next to her and brought her into a reassuring hug. "I'm sorry."

Ino's shoulders slumped defeatedly, her eyes glued to the ground near her feet. "So what _did_ you mean?"

"There will be times..." the green-haired druid said softly, releasing her grip and sitting beside the blonde girl. "Times when little Drake will need you more than he needs _her_. There will be times when she cannot help him, like when you saved him from your team, or when you and he were sailing. In those times, you will find your happiness, brief though it may be."

"How do you know about that?" Ino raised an eyebrow. "That was thousands of miles away."

"We all have millions of futures, but only one past." Catt said cryptically. "And it's easier when you think about it as often as you do. I can pick up on the surface thoughts of the people around me." Ino sighed, fighting back the tears she could feel coming. Catt's eyes flashed from within. "Who is the boy with the swirls on his cheeks?"

"Choji." Ino smiled. "We dated for a while. He's a total sweetheart. I tried, I really did, but the fire just wasn't there."

"And now you're thinking about the boy with his eyes on the sky."

"Shikamaru." she said simply. "Same thing, distinctly less of a sweetheart, and the lack of fire was from _his_ side."

"He had eyes for the girl from the desert." Catt finished.

"Hearing someone else finish my thoughts is weird." Ino admitted. "Oddly liberating, but weird."

"Anyone with less experience reading minds would have gotten defensive by now." Catt reasoned. "It is nice not feeling sudden anger for once. Now you're thinking about the pale artist."

"Sai." she nodded. "That relationship was all fire."

"But no emotion." Catt surmised. "It was just physical."

"On both sides." Ino nodded. "It seems like I can never find someone I feel both for. It's always either _just_ physical or _just_ emotional. Now I feel both, but he's taken."

"You act like he doesn't feel anything for you." Catt smiled. "Do you have any idea how much you were tempting him on the ship? You almost broke a man who had the willpower to _**lop off his own bloody arm**_ when you _weren't_ trying. Don't belittle that, and don't try to act like it doesn't cheer you up."

"It does." Ino admitted. Suddenly Catt's eyes lost focus and widened in shock. "What's...?"

"Another vision is coming." the green haired girl cut her off, her eyes shifting to the green of her hair. Ino watched as the eyes closed, light pulsing from behind the lids. Suddenly Catt's brow furrowed, alarm becoming evident on her features as the glow intensified. "Oh no..." Her eyes shot open, the green glow fading as she locked eyes with Ino. There was an edge of panic in her voice when she spoke again. "Which direction did Drake and TenTen go?"

----------------------------------------------------------------------

"Don't tell me you keep a shower in that thing too..." Drake deadpanned as TenTen unfurled her utility scroll on a nearby tree branch.

"Not exactly." she smirked. "I'm improvising." He watched as she found a certain seal, and in a puff of smoke a small blue scroll appeared, the symbol for water scrawled on the side. She walked back over to him and unfurled the scroll above her head. It just hovered in the air, and TenTen made a hand-seal. The Kanji in the center of the scroll began to glow, and then fifty gallons of warm water were released in a rush. The sudden weight slammed her to the ground next to him, completely drenched. Drake, equally drenched, started laughing.

"Way to improvise." he chuckled, propping himself up on his elbows in the soaked grass.

"Shut up." she coughed, glaring at him. "It worked, didn't it?"

"It did." he conceded. "Got any towels in that thing?"

She raised an eyebrow, feigning insult, and walked back over to her scroll. Two puffs of smoke later she returned with a towel wrapped around her body, tossing another to him and summoning them each a fresh set of clothes.

He caught it and dried himself off. TenTen tossed him a fresh pair of pants, which he donned quickly. His boots came next, and his eyes swept around the clearing as he laced them up. His gaze found TenTen and lingered of its own accord. He watched with undisguised disappointment as she got dressed.

"Enjoying the view?" she asked when she caught his stare.

"Yes." he admitted. "Where did you throw my shirt?" He finished lacing his other boot and stood, scanning the clearing for his shirt. The scene was completely silent. A sense of wrongness was all the warning he had.

He turned back to TenTen and time slowed to a crawl. Drake saw everything in perfect focus. TenTen was fastening the buttons on her top. She was beautiful, despite the exhaustion etched across her features. His eyes flitted over her shoulder to the moonlight glinting from the tips of the crossbow bolts, and to the the malice in the eyes of the men holding them as they rose some fifty feet behind her. TenTen's face seemed to blur for a moment, and he found himself staring into Shanks' green eyes, the familiar face of the man who'd killed her resolving over that of the lead crossbowman.

His body was moving. He wrapped his arms around her and spun, putting himself between her and the attackers as he heard the thumping of the crossbows being fired. A moment passed, then another, and the entire forest went silent again. He loosened his grip and looked TenTen over.

She was safe.

"Heh..." he chuckled, tasting blood. "..._Made_ it." He attempted to let out the breath he had been holding. It didn't work. TenTen was staring at his chest, a look of horror in her eyes. His gaze followed hers, to the bloody tips of the five crossbow bolts. His vision blurred as the pain hit, lances of fire burning their way through his chest. His knees buckled. TenTen caught him, careful not to disturb the bolts.

"We got him boys!" a voice said loudly, cackling in the darkness. "If we hurry him back we can get those fifty thousand crowns! Kill the girl!"

The bushes around the clearing shook, and Drake and TenTen realized that they were completely surrounded. There were men armed with swords and other various weapons forming a loose circle around them. The six with the crossbows had shuffled out to join the line. They recognized four of the men from the mercenary unit, but the rest were unfamiliar.

*_Thirty two men._* Drake and TenTen realized in unison. Drake reached a hand toward where he'd left Snaga, at the tree with TenTen's scroll. Nothing happened, and he was seized by a coughing fit, dropping to a knee and gasping for air.

"Why did you do this to him?" TenTen asked aloud. "What has he done to any of you?"

"He's worth a fuckload of money." one of the men she recognized chuckled cruelly. "What other reason do we _need_?"

She saw red. Rage blotted out her thoughts. Her swords were in her hands, and she was suddenly among the men. There was no clash of steel-on-steel, no sounds of fighting at all. A few seconds passed in a blur, and then all but four of the men were on the ground. Some were already dead, most were still dying. The four that were still unharmed dropped their weapons and ran as fast as their legs could carry them. They sprinted past the wounded Drake like he no longer existed, and the big man's hands shot out.

He caught two of them around their throats and slammed them into the ground. The force of the the impact left craters under the men and snapped the first's neck. He died quickly. The other writhed for a while as he attempted to draw in a breath through his smashed windpipe. Drake turned to follow the other two. His legs failed him again, and he ended up on his hands and knees instead. He managed to draw one of Shanks' knives, and it took one of the runners in the neck, dropping him without a sound. He drew the other knife, but fell into another coughing fit before he could throw it. TenTen appeared beside him, helping him into a standing position.

"Don't let him get away." he coughed, reaching out to support himself against a tree. "He knows who I am." She nodded and sprinted off. He slammed a fist into the tree, feeling his body start to go numb as the wood splintered. *_Fuck!_* he cursed inwardly. *_I should have heard them coming._*

TenTen returned a few moments later and he swayed on his feet. She moved to his coat, rummaging through it until she came away with his case of blood pills. Drake was leaning one of his shoulders against a tree. His face was pale, and there was blood on his lips. He wasn't moving. He started to fall and she stepped in, looping one of his arms over her shoulders and easing him to his knees. "Stay with me!"

"I'm still here." he wheezed, wiping the blood from his mouth. She got a good look at the arrowheads, there were five, three in his abdomen, one just below his heart, and another just below his left collarbone.

"I'll go and get help." she said quickly, turning to leave.

"No!" his hand shot out, catching her own. He sounded scared, the tone catching TenTen off-guard. She stepped back and knelt beside him. He stared at the ground, embarrassed by his outburst. "I don't want the back of your head to be the last thing I see."

"Okay." she nodded. "So what do we do?"

"Normally... leave the bolts in until we found a medic to get them out safely." he rasped.

"But?" she asked.

"But I can barely breathe." he wheezed. "And if I can't breathe... I can't move. I have blood pills... How many are... in my back?"

She checked before speaking reluctantly. "Six."

"Fuck." he muttered breathlessly. "How deep is the sixth? And where?"

"Deep. Maybe a few inches behind the others." she said, her voice shaking. "It's just above your left kidney."

"They're barbed." he said simply. She nodded and he felt her hand close around the arrow. He drew one of Shank's knives, setting the handle between his teeth and biting down tightly before nodding to her. Her arm tensed.

White-hot pain speared through him as the arrowhead pierced the skin of his abdomen. He snarled around the handle in his mouth, his teeth making indentations in the leather. Eventually the pain ebbed somewhat, and he relaxed as much as he could. TenTen found his shirt on the ground, tearing it in half. She handed half of it to him and folded the other into a makeshift pad. He did likewise.

"We need bindings." she reasoned. She moved to gather what remained of the bindings she'd been wearing before. There weren't enough. She summoned another roll from her utility scroll.

"Well," he chuckled, the motion sending him coughing again. "At least my tattoo is still there." She feigned a smile. "Snap off the fletchings." He replaced the knife, gritting his teeth as she snapped the first arrow a few inches from where it disappeared into his back. The leverage sent fresh fire into his chest.

The pain moved to the other side of his chest and then lower into his abdomen as TenTen continued snapping off the ends of the arrows. A few agonizing moments later, the pain faded. He replaced the grip of the knife between his teeth in preparation for what came next.

He set the folded shirt on his shoulder and tried to think of something that made him angry. He pictured Danzou, standing there and smiling, all smug and condescending. He remembered being told that the council _owned_ him. He remembered Danzou trying to have him disciplined for saving Toji. A dozen faces sprung to his mind, calling him a monster, telling him he wasn't human. He pictured Hiashi, and remembered Kota Hyuuga's death. He remembered TenTen being thrown in jail. He remembered being told he couldn't go home. All of these things played through his mind, and TenTen heard his breath speed up. His muscles tensed. His hands balled into fists as they moved to grasp the arrowheads. She could practically _feel_ the anger rolling off of him. Before she could ask, his hands moved, wrenching the arrows free one by one.

Getting angry had helped, but it was like fighting an inferno with a bucket. The pain felt like a fiery brand plunging into Drake's stomach and twisting. He cried out, Shanks' knife falling to join the broken arrows on the ground. TenTen pressed the folded cloth to the wounds on his back. He pulled the cloth from his shoulder and did likewise on his front. She realized what he had done. He'd worked himself into a rage to help with the pain, and the ease of the action told her it was a trick he'd used before. She began wrapping the bindings around his chest and abdomen, pulling them as tight as she could. A few moments later, the improvised bandages were secure. He collapsed backwards into her arms, unmoving.

"Drake!?" she shook him, terror in her voice. "Say something!" Drake's eyes shot open, and he drew in a shuddering breath, his chest heaving.

"Ow..." he groaned. She helped him to his feet, looping his arm over her shoulders to help keep him standing.

"How bad is it?" she asked, eying the blood soaking through the makeshift bandages.

"Ask me again tomorrow." he replied, spitting a mouthful of blood out. He slid the toe of his boot under Shanks' knife and kicked it into the air, catching it and replacing it in its sheath more out of reflex than will. "I can breathe, though."

TenTen started to walk, supporting him as he forced his legs to move. He staggered and almost fell, but she held on. They moved in silence for a few minutes, backtracking toward the camp. The only sounds disturbing the night were their footfalls and Drake's labored breathing. She squeezed his hand periodically, making sure he wasn't going numb. Eventually she broke the silence.

"Why did you jump in the way?" she asked, not sure when the tears had started rolling down her cheeks. "Why do you _always_ jump in the way?" He was silent. "You could have just knocked me down. Why did you have to get hurt?"

"I wasn't fast enough..." he muttered deliriously.

"Obviously you were." she argued, confused. She turned to him and saw that his eyes were unfocused, staring off into the trees.

"Shanks..." he wheezed. TenTen's eyes went wide. "I wasn't fast enough... to save you, Shanks." a single tear rolled down his cheek. "I wasn't strong enough to save Tree either. Every time I shut my eyes... Every night... I'm _never_ fast enough. I'm sorry." His eyes came back into focus. "Sorry. Drifted off... for a minute there. What was I saying?"

TenTen was silent, squeezing his arm and holding him as closely as she could without stopping. She suddenly understood why he had so many scars. This was why he chose to protect people when he could have evaded his attackers countless times. This was why he'd jumped in between her and the sound-nin the day they'd met. He'd been subconsciously trying to save Tree and Shanks every single time. He'd been trying to _atone_.

"TenTen?" he spoke, shaking her from her thoughts. She squeezed his hand, and he squeezed back before speaking. "Why were you crying back at the campfire?"

"Catt told us a story." she said sadly.

"Which one?"

"The one that convinced you to come across the sea." she said .

"Ah." he stared at the ground sadly. "That one. Little Nira. Not my finest moment."

"Didn't want to rub salt in any old wounds." TenTen muttered sadly.

"Old wounds aren't so bad when you have new ones. Heh..." he chuckled at the realization. "Story of my life."

A long silence formed. Again, the only sounds were their feet hitting the ground and the Drake's heavy breathing. About five minutes into the walk, he started to feel dizzy, and his body began going numb. TenTen read the change in his motions and squeezed his hand. No response. She fished another blood pill from his case, setting it between his teeth. Drake groaned in pain as the feeling returned to his injuries.

"Can you keep going?" she asked, slowing down slightly. He nodded, and picked the pace back up.

"The arm was worse than this." he said, nodding to the scars on his right arm.

"You must have the pain tolerance of a grizzly bear by now." she muttered. Drake laughed bitterly. "What's so funny?"

"Everybody thinks... that your body builds up a pain tolerance if you get hurt all the time." he muttered tiredly. "It's total bullshit."

"What?" TenTen was confused. "I've seen you shrug off things that'd kill me five times over. How can it be bullshit?"

"Getting hurt stimulates your pain receptors." he explained, wincing. "Pain works just like any other sense. The more often you exercise it, the keener it gets."

TenTen's eyes went wide, her mind temporarily refusing to recall the sheer number of scars that he carried before she spoke. "It hurts _more_?"

"Yeah." he nodded tiredly. "Anyone who tries to convince you otherwise just hasn't had enough to notice the difference."

She couldn't think of anything to say. Drake stumbled again, and she caught him. "You're talkative when you're hurt." she finally said, staring at their feet.

"Talking keeps me awake." he said tiredly.

"Did...?" Her voice trailed off, and she avoided eye contact. She involuntarily squeezed his hand, and he returned the gesture.

"What?" he asked, gritting his teeth and forcing his legs to keep moving.

"Nothing." she said simply. "It can wait."

"The holes in me would suggest otherwise." he deadpanned. "What is it?"

It took her a few seconds before she could bring herself to ask the question. It hurt. She wasn't even sure she wanted to hear his answer. When she finally did, her voice was barely a whisper. "Did you really come to Konoha to die?"

This time it was his eyes that fell, staring at the ground as his feet kept moving. After a few minutes he spoke. "Not Konoha specifically," he sighed. "But yes. That was the original plan."

"Was?" she asked sadly. "So you changed your mind?" He nodded tiredly. "What changed your mind?" He didn't respond, his eyes were drifting shut. TenTen shook him and his eyes snapped open. "Stay with me." she squeezed his hand again. He squeezed back weakly. "Keep talking."

"What were we talking about?" he asked groggily, shaking his head in an attempt to dispel the dizziness as he forced his feet to move again.

"What changed your mind?" she repeated.

"_You_ did." he answered, his gaze briefly lifting to her own before darting back to the ground. Shock replaced the sadness on her face. "Causes worth dying for are a copper piece a dozen. You can find them anywhere." he lifted his eyes to her own. "You're the first I've found that feels like it's worth _living_ for."

The answer was just about as far from what she'd expected as possible. She stopped and pulled him into a hug, tears flowing freely down her face. She held him as tightly as she could without disturbing the bandages. His arms wrapped around her and held the moment.

"Found them!" Naruto's voice called from ahead.

Drake didn't hear him. He felt warm, warm and safe. His eyes drifted shut, and his knees gave out. His arms were still wrapped around TenTen's shoulders when he lost consciousness.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

"He won't fight again." Daeric said, shielding his eyes against the intense light. "He probably won't even wake up. I've seen men die from wounds _half_ that bad. It's a miracle he's made it this long."

"You don't know him at all." Catt muttered, the glow surrounding her hands vanished. "I fixed the organ damage, but the rest will have to heal on its own."

"Why not just fix it all?" Ino asked, confused.

"Because then he wouldn't _learn_ anything." Catt muttered irritably.

"Wow." the blond kunoichi muttered. "Harsh. I think we'd get along."

"Maybe." Catt shrugged. "I'm going to go see if Kakashi is busy." Ino chuckled and nodded as the green-haired girl walked out into the night.

"What does she mean I don't know him?" The young mercenary asked defensively, blinking his eyes to adjust to the sudden darkness. "I met him before any of you."

"This." Ino said simply. She leaned down until her face was a few inches above Drake's. "Wake up!" she yelled, her hand snaking out to slap him across the cheek. The sound echoed through the tent, and Daeric winced in sympathy.

"Ow!..." Drake snapped tiredly. His hand moved up to rub his reddening cheek as he blinked groggily. "Ino? ...the fuck did I do to deserve that?"

"You almost died." Ino said irritably. "..._again!_"

"Oh yeah," Drake muttered sheepishly. "...that." Daeric looked terrified, his eyes locked on Drake.

"What were you thinking?" Ino asked, her eyes blazing.

"I have more experience being hit by crossbows than TenTen." the big man muttered sarcastically as he tried to sit up. Pain flared in his torso, and he slumped back down. "I was worried she might not get the landing right." His face turned serious. "How is she?"

"A little shaken up." Ino answered, the anger fading from her face. "She's helping Kakashi root out anyone else who knows who you are among the unit." Drake winced, half in pain and half in sympathy for anyone TenTen actually _found_.

"It doesn't matter." he said dismissively. "We're leaving. We need to get to Tachi's place before word gets out that I'm back." He finally noticed Daeric staring at him. "What's wrong kid? You look like you just saw a ghost or something."

"How the hell are you _alive_?" the young mercenary asked, a smile of relief splitting his face when his shock finally faded.

"Assassins these days aren't even _trying_ anymore." Drake muttered, keeping his sarcasm despite the pain lancing through his chest. "I would have thought that a bounty as big as mine would at least warrant poisoned bolts. Help me up."

"Should you really be getting up when you're hurt like this?" Daeric asked, his skepticism returning. Drake shot him a look that made him take an involuntary step back.

"For once I agree with the kid." Ino said simply. "You should probably rest."

"Stop calling me a kid!" Daeric protested. "And you're the one who slapped him awake anyway!"

"I was proving a point!" Ino glared at him.

"Help. Me. Up." Drake grumbled. The blonde woman and young mercenary didn't move. "Fine." he rolled onto his stomach and started to push himself up. Ino stepped in close, hands spinning through a series of seals, and leaned in to touch his forehead. His arms gave out from under him, and the bedroll felt even more comfortable than he'd ever thought possible.

"What did you _do_!?" he heard Daeric's voice cry out. Sleep seemed to reach up from beneath and pull him down into it. The best kind of sleep. Sleep without dreams.

Consciousness came back to him slowly. He was moving, that much was certain. He could feel the wind in his clothes and his hair, the strength of wind that only happened when he flew through the treetops.

*_How the hell am I moving?_* he wondered deliriously. *_Druss?_* No answer. "Druss?" he croaked.

"He's waking up!" Ino's voice called from beside his head. The sudden noise made him wince, and he felt them land and was eased down to the ground, his head resting in someone's lap.

"How long have we been running?" Drake asked the two blurs looming above him.

"Since dawn." TenTen's voice spoke from the left blur. "How do you feel?"

"Like I got kicked by a horse." he winced. A greenish glow appeared in front of him, and the pain in his ribs ebbed somewhat. "How far from Tachi's are we?"

"Two or three miles." she replied. He sat up, stretching his limbs and shaking his head to wake himself up. His eyes cleared, and he saw TenTen and Ino. "Can you run?"

"Yeah." he nodded. "Where's my gear?"

TenTen unfurled her scroll, and a large puff of smoke heralded the arrival of his equipment. He donned it swiftly, the uncomfortable lightness replaced with the familiar weight of his coat and weapons. Kakashi landed next to him, Naruto and Sakura on his heels.

"Let's go." the silver-haired Jounin ordered quietly.

The group started to move at a jog, the forest around them moving by at a pace that seemed slow to Drake. He realized with a start that they were slowed down for _his_ sake and jumped into the trees, taking off as fast as he could. He relished the feel of the wind rushing through his hair and clothes, and pushed himself to go faster.

"Where are you going?" TenTen asked, appearing effortlessly alongside him as he sped through the branches.

"I don't like being babied." he said simply. "It's bad enough that you two carried me all the way here."

"I didn't mind." Ino spoke from his other side.

"Neither did I." TenTen agreed.

"That isn't the point." he argued stubbornly. He spotted the cabin ahead and kicked off a branch to soar high above the canopy. The single moment of weightlessness at the peak of the jump was cut short when his momentum carried him downward. He angled his landing and hit the ground about twenty feet in front of the house, kicking up a cloud of dust. He felt, rather than heard, his five companions land soundlessly behind him. "I recognize this place." he thought aloud. "This is where he used to live. Thought he would have moved by now. He was usually more cautious than that."

The cabin was fairly unassuming, built out of logs, and looking like it had sunk into the side of the mountain over the years. There was a set of talon-marks across the door, and Drake approached wearily.

"Doesn't look good." Ino thought aloud.

Drake drew Snaga and gestured with his free hand. The group spread out, each drawing weapons or making hand-seals. The tall man approached the door slowly, barely making a sound. He stepped inside, and TenTen saw his shoulders relax as he replaced Snaga in its harness.

"It's fine." he called simply. TenTen and Ino approached his side, returning their swords to their respective sheaths, Team Kakashi stepping in after them.

"Where is he?" Ino asked, eying the empty room. It was fairly spartan, with a fireplace, a simple couch, and a leather armchair which looked well-used.

Drake brought a finger to his lips for silence, then gestured to his ears. The group listened, there was a sound repeating from the far wall, too soft to distinguish. Drake walked over and began to examine the wall.

"Team Kakashi should probably stay outside." he muttered. "The old man isn't friendly at the best of times, and if he's hiding like this, these are _not_ the best of times."

"Why are we even here then?" Naruto asked.

"You need clothes and weapons that don't scream _Ninja_." the tall man said simply feeling between two of the logs that made up the rear wall. "Tachi makes the best weapons."

"The best in Sharn, you mean." TenTen corrected him. "The weapon-makers in Konoha are..."

"Nowhere near Tachi's league." he said softly, still focused on the wall. "Just trust me." his fingers found purchase between two beams. There was a click, and a portion of the wall swung outward to reveal a stone tunnel, lined with torches. The sound became much clearer, and the five ninja recognized the sound of a hammer pounding metal.

"How did you know how to do that?" Naruto asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I remember everything but _this wall_." Drake explained with a shrug. "This room used to just open into the cave."

The hammering stopped, and there was a distant hiss.

"That's our cue." Kakashi spoke softly, gesturing to the door. Naruto and Sakura followed him out.

A silhouette appeared in the hallway, the recognizable shape of a hammer in each hand. Ino and TenTen each looked to Drake for any sign of something amiss. There was none. He looked completely calm.

"Who the hell's there?" a gravelly voice boomed. "What in the hell're you doing in my house?"

A dour looking face appeared, a few inches lower than TenTen's own. The face was old, with skin that resembled worn leather, and a thick, braided beard that hung past the man's belt. The man was nearly as wide as Drake at the shoulder, with huge bands of muscle bulging from his upper body and arms ending in massive fists. More than anything, his expression and build gave the impression of a small boulder, stubborn and immovable. The man's dark eyes flitted from Ino to TenTen, and then to Drake, where they widened.

"Drake?" the old man muttered, scrutinizing the tall man's face. "Is that you, boy?"

"More or less." Drake nodded with a smirk, stepping forward and taking the man's hand in the warrior's grip. "I see you're still too stubborn to die, Tachi."

"Likewise." the old man grumbled. He turned to TenTen and squinted. "Shanks?" TenTen's gaze dropped to the ground and Drake's smirk vanished. Tachi turned to regard Ino. "You finally grew. Who's the new girl? and why are you so quiet?"

"I'm not Shanks." TenTen said simply. "My name is TenTen. This is Ino. We're friends of his."

"You're something more than that, from the way two you look at him." Tachi muttered. The turned to Drake and held out his hands expectantly. "Weapons?"

Drake took Snaga off his back, handing it to the smaller man. Tachi stepped back and took a few practice swings, handling the axe like he'd held it all his life. At last he seemed satisfied, setting Snaga on the table next to the anvil.

"Next." he muttered. Drake retrieved Shanks' knives from his boots, hesitating a moment before handing them to the old blacksmith. Tachi stared at the blades for a moment, realization dawned in his eyes. His expression hardened and he began to spin the weapons in a few simple maneuvers. TenTen realized after a moment he was testing the balance on the blades. After a moment he held the knives close and examined the edges.

"Next?" Tachi muttered, sounding irritated.

Drake drew two of Tree's throwing blades and handed them to the bearded man. Tachi hefted the first briefly, then threw it. The blade stuck into one of the support struts some twenty feet away. He hefted the second blade and threw again. The blade thudded into place about a foot above the first. He repeated the process until all of Tree's knives were embedded at various angles in the wooden beam.

"What happened to them?" Tachi asked gruffly. "Tell me everything."

"You might want to sit down." Drake said simply. "This'll take a while."

An hour later, Tachi had a slightly abridged version of the last five years of Drake's life. The old man didn't react beyond asking the occasional question for clarification. He seemed to take all of the story in stride, the dour expression never leaving his features. After Drake finished, the old blacksmith stood and turned to Ino and TenTen.

"Can I speak with Drake alone for a moment?" he asked politely.

Ino raised an eyebrow, looking to Drake over Tachi's shoulder. Drake nodded. The two kunoichi stood and moved to the next room, closing the door behind them. Ino stopped the door a fraction of an inch before the latch closed, pushing the door open slightly and holding her ear to the crack to listen. TenTen did likewise.

Tachi was muttering angrily in a language neither of them understood. Drake replied, his tone soft, almost apologetic. Tachi's voice grew angrier, taking on an accusing tone. Drake's replies were short and quiet. TenTen had never heard him so reserved. Tachi continued to spout what sounded like accusations, and Drake just kept answering quietly. Tachi bellowed something in the strange language, punctuating the end of the tirade with a recognizable "YOU MORON!" There was the familiar sound of a punch impacting, and a body being hurled to the floor, scattering furniture. Ino opened the door.

"Stay out of this..." Drake's voice sounded from the floor across the room. The two kunoichi saw him roll to his feet, locking eyes with Tachi again.

"What was the _first_ thing I ever taught you?" Tachi asked, stomping across the room to glare venomously into Drake's eyes.

"Self reliance." Drake said quietly.

"Self reliance!" Tachi bellowed, thundering a punch into the younger man's stomach. Drake doubled over, dropping to one knee. "You've got Shanks' daggers, Tree's throwing blades, Druss's axe..." he fumed. "None of it belongs to you! None of it _is_ you! You're the most feared swordsman in Sharn and you don't even _own_ a sword! Where is your self reliance!?"

Drake didn't say a word. Tachi's fist slammed into his face. TenTen saw him turn his head a fraction to take the hit on his cheek instead of his nose. The blow sent him back, but Tachi grabbed the collar of the big man's coat, holding him in place. He swung again, fist slamming into Drake's brow. Another thundered into his jaw, and another, the sound making TenTen and Ino cringe. Drake's eyes were emotionless.

"What is the first thing the swordsman has to learn to protect?" the old blacksmith asked coldly.

"His vitals." Drake muttered.

"His vitals!" Tachi slammed his fist into the bandages on Drake's chest. Blood began to soak through. "But here you are with armor everywhere _except_ your vitals. Still waiting for that one lucky thrust that'll put you out of your misery? Waiting to die? Do you remember _**anything**_ I taught you!?"

Drake didn't answer, and Tachi slammed another punch to his face before gesturing to the weapons on the table.

"You've dinged and chipped and re-sharpened the blades on those weapons so much that they aren't even balanced anymore!" Tachi said vehemently. "And why? Because you're afraid to give them up. You're _hiding_ behind them. When you walked in here I thought you'd grown up, but you haven't. You're still just clinging to Tree and Shanks like a frightened child. You're still just a _coward_."

"Don't talk to him like that!" TenTen said angrily, stepping between them, Ino followed her. Their hands moved to rest on the hilts of their swords, blocking Tachi's onslaught.

"You will speak when spoken to!" Tachi hissed, bringing his hand around toward TenTen's face. The slap stopped inches short, and the weapon mistress opened her eyes to see Drake's hand clamped around the man's wrist. Tachi's massive arm flexed, but didn't move at all.

"I owe you more than I could ever repay." Drake said, his tone cold. "But the next time you take a swing at either of them, you pull back a fucking **stump**."

The room was silent for what seemed like an eternity.

"_There_'s the fire." the old man said, a glimmer of approval on his face. "I thought it had gone out completely."

"Not completely." Drake said tiredly, releasing the blacksmith's hand. "It's just burning low."

Tachi turned to TenTen. "I'm sorry girl. I was just trying to get the boy to do something other than stare at his feet and take the beating. He used to be so quick to anger."

"He still is." Drake said coldly. "He just got sick of killing all the _morons_ who made a point to piss him off."

Tachi glared at him, and Drake glared right back. When Tachi spoke again, his voice was less harsh.

"There was a time when I wouldn't have even landed the second hit before you lost your temper and attacked me." Tachi said simply, his eyes softening for a moment. "You _have_ grown, boy. Now get your doomseeking ass out there and start splitting logs. Tomorrow you're starting a new sword."

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Feedback? Please? I'm averaging less than one review per chapter lately. I write to try and hone my skills, but cannot do so without any kind of feedback.

Regardless, have a good one!

-Casa


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